Breathless
by Kiki Ling
Summary: The Blitzkrieg Boys have a secret, one which they protect zealously. Can Kai cope, as the rising heat between Ray and he collide with other parts of his life he’d rather were kept hidden, or will he lose everything? Kai x Ray.
1. A Phoenix's Return

Well, here we are. Yeah, I know. I had some stupid idea of wanting to finish a story before starting another but that wish just wasn't going to last long. So, on to **Breathless**.

Category: Beyblade.

Rating: T.

Pairings: Kai x Ray.

Genre: Drama.

Summary: The Blitzkrieg Boys have a secret, one which they protect zealously. Can Kai cope as the rising heat between him and Ray collide with other parts of his life he'd rather were hidden or will he lose everything?

WARNINGS: Foul language. Mild madness. Violence. Mentions of attempted suicide. Mentions of murder. Mentions of drinking. Yaoi.

Disclaimer: Beyblade does not belong to me, nor do any of its characters.

My my, judging from the warnings above I'd say this was going to a dark fic. Still, I'll tone it all down slightly as I've rated this T but hopefully no one will be horrified and if they are, then I'll just up the rating to M. I doubt that'll happen though, it's really not that scary.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Breathless**

**Chapter One: A Phoenix's Return**

Ray opened his eyes; it was no good. He couldn't sleep. He'd tried. Everything. He'd even gone as far as counting beyblades, now if that wasn't sad then Ray didn't know what was. Blanking his mind also seemed to be impossible so full of thoughts his mind was; useless thoughts that were treading in to his mind to infuriate him. He sighed and plumped the pillow up; turning over to face the window he glanced at the clock illuminated by his bed.

1:45

Ray moaned and rolled on to his back silently cursing; outside the rain smacked against the window pane; normally the rhythm would relax him, but tonight all it seemed to do was bang loudly against the glass and give him a headache. He sat up. Maybe reading a book would send him off to sleep; he flicked on the light and looked down at the pile of books sat by his bed.

_A Review And Study In The Workings Of A Beyblade._

That one was a Christmas present from Kenny; Ray appreciated it, really he did, maybe this would send him off. He picked it up and turned to the first page.

He closed the book.

He really wasn't _that_ desperate.

He looked down at the next book.

_Barry Pouter And The Puffed Up Pervert._

Also a Christmas present, this time from Max; everyone seemed to buy him books, still at least Max had bought something that was original if nothing else. With a slight feeling of trepidation he picked it up, Max wasn't known for reading a good dramatic novel. Rubbing his forehead he flicked to a random page.

_Barry crept over to his wardrobe and opened the door quickly with a slight fear of what he might find. He blinked. Blinked twice. And gasped. Inside his wardrobe was a naked man who was crouched over with a ruler-_

"Oh no!" Ray dropped the book "Maxie no!" carefully Ray nudged the book with his foot until it was hidden under the bed "and that's where it'll stay"

Ray looked down at his next book.

_Lord Of The Loved Up Hobbit And The Two Wanking Wizards._

It was a present from Tyson.

"Noo!" Ray decided firmly; if he didn't want to know about naked men with rulers up their ass then he really didn't want to know what was contained in a present from Tyson. Maybe reading a review and study on the workings of a beyblade wasn't such a bad idea.

Of course reading something that disturbed him greatly and made him question the minds of his fellow teammates had taken the effect of sharpening his mind further, thus he was more awake than he had been before. He stood up and stretched; walking to the window he pulled aside the curtains and looked out at the storm that blew all around, if the night had been nice then he would have gone for a walk. But at the rate the rain was going it would soon change from a walk to a swim, something Ray didn't fancy doing. With a furrowed brow he massaged his temple and leant against the cold glass willing his headache away and wishing sleep would come to him.

He could at least deal with the headache.

Yawning and stretching again he made his way to the door and silently opened it; all was quiet in the hallway. Each door was closed concealing a sleeping blader or two; carefully Ray slid his door shut and crept bare footed up the hallway towards the kitchen. He'd grab a painkiller and a glass of water, then maybe sneak in to living room to watch a late night movie or something.

Stopping in front of the kitchen door he was surprised to see a light shine through the gaps, it seemed he wasn't the only one not to sleep. He opened the door and blinked in the bright kitchen light as his eyes accustomed to the sudden change. He slipped inside and shut the door behind him; he looked over at the table and found Max sitting there yawning over a mug of coco.

"Can't sleep either?" the neko-jin asked.

Max looked up with a start "hey Ray, didn't see you there"

Ray smiled as he walked over to the cupboards and crouched down in front of the cupboard that held the various painkillers and sleeping pills that grandpa kept, living under the same roof with a bunch of crazy young men could often leave someone feeling a little cranky.

"They're all gone" Max said having seen what Ray was in hunt for.

Ray cursed and shut the cupboard; he sat at the table with a groan and rested his head against the table.

"Headache?" Max enquired with a small smile.

Ray nodded to the table and replied "trust me to get a headache when we're run out of painkillers"

Max chuckled "could be worse"

"How exactly?"

"You could be sleeping in the room next to Tyson's"

Ray looked up "you mean a solid wall doesn't stop it?"

Max shook his head grinning, "a solid wall with the help of three pillows doesn't even stop it"

"Sheesh, I didn't realise it was that bad" Ray raised his eyebrows "his snoring must have worsened"

"It doesn't help that Daichi's snoring is added" Max agreed yawning, "together I'm sure they could start up their own snoring band"

"Maybe we should record them"

Both Ray and Max grinned, "I wonder what Tyson's fans would say about his snoring" Max laughed.

"His ratings would probably drop by 30%"

They both sniggered at the thought. Ray got up again and switched on the kettle whilst pulling down a mug; the kitchen fell silent again save for the increasing hissing of the boiling water. Max stared down at his mug seemingly sinking back in to deep thought; Ray glanced over his shoulder at him as he waited for the kettle and battled with his ebony hair, if he ever got away from the tradition of his elders he was cutting it at first opportunity. He shoved it over his shoulder and dumped spoonfuls of coco in to his mug.

"You gonna tell me what's on your mind?" he asked as he poured in the hot water.

Max looked up with an expression of surprise "what makes you think something's wrong?"

"You mean apart from the fact that you no longer have your sunny smile face on?" Ray raised his eyebrows again.

Max grinned weakly "I'm really that obvious?"

"Yup" Ray sat back at the table and took a sip yelping as the hot liquid burnt the tip of his tongue "so come on, what's up?" he asked sticking out his tongue and looking down to see if he'd done his tongue any damage.

Seeing Ray sticking out his tongue with huge golden eyes momentarily distracted Max and he pulled out his camera to snap a picture before Ray even had chance to realise what he was doing.

"Hey!"

"There's a reason I always take my camera with me" Max smirked "that's a classic, Ray!"

Ray scowled "never mind that" he insisted, making a mental note to steal that camera "tell me"

Max's face fell again and he sighed "what would you say if I said I'd been dating Mariam for the passed six months?"

"That wouldn't surprise me at all" Ray replied "there was chemistry between you guys when you first met"

Now it was Max's turn to raise his eyebrows "no offence, but what does a lowly country cat like you know about chemistry?"

"Less of the cat" Ray scowled again "and I reckon I know more about 'chemistry' than you"

"Oh really? Meaning what exactly?"

Ray grinned a tiger grin "you _really_ don't want to know how I found out about sex, baring in mind we had no sex education videos to it explain to us"

Max thought about this "yeah, you probably right"

"So? You and Mariam met up again? I thought the Saint Shields had vanished off somewhere"

"They did but she came back" Max smiled at this "she just appeared one day and stayed at my place for a bit, dad's gone over to America for a while so we had the place to ourselves and-"

"No details please" Ray interrupted.

"Well anyway, we were getting really close and during BEGA she was kinda my rock if you like. We would just lay in bed for hours, talking and laughing. And boy did she know how to ar-"

"Max"

"Right, no details. It was just so much fun, Ray" Max smiled sadly "everything she did was just so-" he caught Ray's expression "oh yes, you don't want to know"

"Why don't you tell me where it went wrong?" Ray suggested thinking the sexual fancies of his American friend couldn't possibly be included in that.

How wrong can a neko-jin be?

"We were in bed just finished-"

"Max"

"Oh yeah, no sex details. So we were in bed when the window smashed and Ozuma jumps in like he owns the place, he got really angry. I've never seen him so mad; he didn't shout or anything but just hissed at Mariam and told her to get out. I tried to stop her but she didn't even look back" Max sighed sadly "then Ozuma left. I tried looking for Miriam but when those Saint Shields want to hide they just melt away"

"You haven't heard from them since?" Ray asked.

Max shook his head "not one word" he pushed away his cold mug of coco "I reckon Mariam and Ozuma had something going, but they had a fight and she left. She must have come to me as a punishment to Ozuma or something"

"She wouldn't do that" Ray said, "she couldn't. Not to you"

Max's smile was small "you think? Just because I'm cute it doesn't mean people don't hurt me, Ray"

"It'll be nothing like that at all" Ray persisted "Joseph probably found out about you guys and probably whined to Ozuma until Ozuma cracked"

"Why would Joseph do something like that?"

To Max's surprise Ray sniggered "you forget" the neko-jin answered, "I grew up with Lee and Mariah. If a guy so much as looks at Mariah then Lee's ready to commit murder. You wouldn't believe the number of fights I've prevented Lee from starting"

"You think it might be it?" Max looked up so hopefully Ray found himself unable voice the doubt he actually felt.

"Of course" the tiger grinned "you too cute, Max. Anyone trying to hurt you would be eternally repenting for their sin"

The blonde huffed at being called cute "I'm really not that-"

The front door slammed open.

Ray leapt out of his skin and jumped to his feet while Max gave a small scream and fell to the floor. They both glared furiously at the shadowed figure in the doorway "hey! Who are you?" Ray demanded though he had a feeling he already knew. The shadowed figure stood blacker against the black night, filling the doorway with a sinister air about him.

"Put the spoon down, Ray. It's hardly deadly" the shadowed figure stepped in from the dark night rain dripping from his body. Kai Hiwatari stepped in to the light and Max smacked his head against the floor in relief.

"_Don't DO that_!" Ray gasped.

Kai's crimson eyes rested on him "I didn't do anything"

"Yes you did! It's every time!" Ray fumed "every time you come back to Tyson's you give me the fright of my life! I swear you do it on purpose!"

Kai pushed his dripping bangs from his face and dumped his sodden bag on the floor "it's not my fault you happen to be around whenever I return"

"That's not the point! What is wrong with knocking on the door like any normal person?" Ray said crossly "better still, come back at a time that is acceptable! Like in the middle of the day for example!"

Kai rolled his eyes as he pulled off his saturated coat and flung it on the hook by the front door as Tyson came crashing in to the kitchen "what is it? Where's the fire? Who's dead! WHAT'S GOING ON!"

Max looked up from the floor with a sigh "Kai's back"

Tyson stopped mid shout "oh, is that all?" he huffed at Kai for disturbing the night before turning on his heel and stalking from the kitchen.

"It's good to know I've been missed" Kai commented taking Ray's coco and drinking from it ignoring the tiger's expostulations "I'm gone for three months and you all act like I'm irritating you"

"Serves you right for coming in at two in the morning!" Ray sniffed "if you want a welcome then come back in seven hours"

Kai sighed at the neko-jin and picked up his bag again "seeing as you're not using it I'll use your bed, if you don't mind" he walked from the kitchen with another word leaving a trail of rain water as he went.

"He just kicked me out of my own room?" Ray gaped in amazement "one day I'm gonna give that phoenix a right thump across the face!"

"Don't do that" Max scrambled up from the floor "you'll probably end up breaking your fist"

* * *

It had happened every so often; one day Kai would be there and then the next he would be gone, he could be gone for weeks turning to months before returning without so much as a clue to where he had been. The Bladebreakers had learnt not to ask questions; Kai was private for the most part but, on this subject, he didn't suffer his team's pondering theories lightly. If he caught them talking about it his anger would explode and it would be hours before anyone could get him to talk to them again. And so the Bladebreakers let Kai have his secret, they didn't ask questions and they didn't bother him about it; Kai liked it that way, it kept things separate which made it easier to handle.

This, however, would not last for long.

Ray knocked softly on his bedroom door; he frowned when he didn't get a reply. Figuring it was his own bedroom, and he had every right to be in there, he softly opened the door and peeped in. To his great surprise he found the curtains still drawn and the room still dull despite the sunlight that shone against the curtains, it gave the room a soft warm glow. Ray crept in and silently shut his door behind him; he walked over to the bed where Kai was lying still deep in sleep, Ray studied the phoenix carefully.

Now he examined the phoenix he saw the dark rings under Kai's eyes, the furrowed brow and the paleness of Kai's complexion; the phoenix lay on the bed on top of the sheets, it looked like he'd pulled off his top and crashed on to the bed without bothering to do anything else. His chest rose and fell steadily as he breathed deeply; the perfectly toned stomach was marred by a scar that ran lightly across the white skin from the underside of his ribcage to the hem of his trousers. Ray had seen this scar before though he knew not where Kai had got it from.

But now, as his eyes accustomed to the dull light, Ray could see other marks; long clawed scratches ran down Kai's sides, there was a bruise colouring the right side of his chest and something that looked like a bite mark on his shoulder.

Had Kai been fighting with vampires?

Ray shook this idea from his head. So he maybe shouldn't have watched that last movie at four in the morning. The neko-jin breathed softly and stood from the bed, as he did so he spotted _Lord Of The Loved Up Hobbit And The Two Wanking Wizards _still lying on the floor by the bed. One quick movement and the book skidded under the bed to join _Barry Pouter And The Puffed Up Pervert_. Ray _so_ didn't need Kai to see that.

Quickly and quietly he slipped to his chest of drawers and opened it; pulling out fresh clothes he tiptoed to the door wincing as a floorboard under his foot creaked. Why did Tyson's house have to be made of wood? He made it to the door and slid it open stubbing his toe in the process; he clapped a hand over his mouth to stop the squeak as he doubled over with pain, who knew it could hurt so much!

"Ray?"

Ray cursed under his breath as he turned round to see Kai sitting up with a small groan "sorry Kai, I didn't mean to wake you"

"It's fine" Kai ran a hand through his hair "what time is it?"

"It's only eight" Ray replied "you should carry on sleeping, Kai"

"No" Kai stood from the bed; he walked to the curtains and drew them aside looking outside as cars passed by "I didn't mean to be so brisk earlier" he said quietly to the window.

"Forget about it" Ray murmured; he walked over to Kai and turned to face him "you should get some more sleep, you look tired" he added softly.

Kai shook his head "I'm fine" he grabbed his bag and opened it "I'll have grandpa make up the spare room for me when I get back"

Ray frowned "get back? Get back from where? You've only just got here"

"I'll be back by tonight" Kai pulled out a top, his beyblade and some clean trousers, he caught Ray staring at him "stop looking at me like that. You're making me feel I'm doing something wrong"

Ray said nothing but knelt down to Kai's bag and pulled out a half empty bottle "I wouldn't say this was water" the tiger looked at Kai whose expression had become dangerous.

"Drinking is not a crime" Kai didn't stop the slightly defensive note to his voice; his tone was sharp and full of warning, indicating Ray was on hazardous ground.

Ray merely pulled out another bottle, this one was empty "tell me you shared this with someone" he whispered "tell me you didn't drink all this by yourself"

Kai snatched the bottles back and shoved them in his bag "keep out of what you don't know, Ray!"

Ray's face was sad, he studied Kai's face taking in the darkened eyes before he stood and walked from the room; Kai glared darkly at the window again cursing the neko-jin and himself. Times had changed. He wasn't the strong blader he'd been but instead was weakening to a person who caved into human desires; he knew that was wrong of him and didn't need Ray's silent reproaches to add to his mess.

"It was a mistake to come back here"

But what else could he do? He needed a break, a rest from his other life. The Bladebreakers had become his only safe haven. As long as he had that he could cope. There were shouts and whoops as the rest of the house awoke to embrace the new morning and from the kitchen he could hear Tyson and the others planning to go to a beyblade tournament for the day. Part of him wished he could go with them.

* * *

Over on the other side of Tokyo Bryan walked through the grand hallway of Black Feather Manor towards a loud and pitiful wailing; he discovered that the voice was emitting from the second sitting room. The great vast rooms of Black Feather Manor were richly decorated and protected as well as insulated and sound proof. But no insulation could have kept that wheedling voice at bay.

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!"

"No!"

"Pretty pleeeease! Please! Please! Please! Please!"

"No!"

"Awww! Pleeeeeease! I'll be good!"

"No!"

"I wanna go! Pleeeeeease!"

"No!"

Tala looked up with an expression that could only be called relief when Bryan sauntered in with an irritated scowl; the other person in the room leapt to his feet and charged over to Bryan like a bulldozer. Bryan glared down in to the face that looked back up tearfully "go away!" the falcon snarled.

"Tala won't let me go to the beyblade tournament!" whined the stranger "I wanna go!"

"Well you can't!" growled Bryan gruffly "if Tala says no then you're not going!"

"Ohh, make him say yes!" pleaded the stranger "I'll be ever so good! I won't do anything wrong I promise!"

That voice. It was getting on Bryan's nerves. The falcon set his jaw and pushed passed the smaller stranger roughly so he could sit on a futon; he glanced over at Tala who was gripping a glass of water so tightly the glass was beginning to break. Tala couldn't stand that whine either.

"Pleeeeeeease!" of course the stranger knew that the two Russian bladers wouldn't last long if he kept this up; if he thought anything about what might happen to him if Tala and Bryan snapped he did not show it. If he knew anything about the violent and dangerous tempers that burst instantly from the wolf and falcon he gave away no fear. Instead he huffed "Kai would let me go!"

"Kai's not here" Tala replied through gritted teeth.

"But it's not faaaaair!"

"Life's not fair kid" Bryan sneered.

"Ohhhhh!"

"You're not going and that's final!" snapped Tala "I can just about manage babysitting you here but I am NOT taking you to a beyblade tournament!"

"Ohhhhhh!"

"Tala said no!" Bryan glared at the stranger who pouted at him.

"It's not faaaair! I wanna goooo!"

Tala's glass splintered; the wolf stood tall above the stranger with a look of intense fury and dislike as blood swelled in long thin ragged red lines on his palm "if you don't shut up I'll shove a shard of glass right through your neck!" he hissed.

"No you don't, Tala!" the stranger quickly jumped out of Tala's reach "you remember what Kai said? You're not to lay one finger on me!"

"I wasn't planning on killing you with my fingers!" Tala's right eye was beginning to twitch.

"Even so, if you hurt me I'll tell Kai and he'll be angry," warned the smaller stranger "you know how Kai gets when he's mad!"

Tala seethed; he lifted a hand as if to strike the stranger, Bryan looked up watching with interest as Tala decided his next move. The young stranger stood there resolute, folding his arms and pouting with annoyance at Tala's rage as if it was Tala's fault he was having to be so awkward.

"Kai'll be maaaaad!"

Tala hated it. Hated that voice. Hated the way the young boy in front of him sang out his words, stretching the out the vowels to add an extra tone to the whine. With great self-discipline the wolf lowered his shaking fist and pursed his lips until they were white.

The stranger's pout vanished, instantly replaced by a huge grin "that's a good Tala!" he laughed in to Tala's face before asking yet again "so can I go to the beyblade tournament?"

"We'll see what Kai says" replied Tala tight lipped.

"YAAAY!" the stranger ran from the room positively bounding for joy and excitement.

Tala flung himself down on the futon next to Bryan "I'll fucking kill Hiwatari for this!"

* * *

Argh, a voice like that gets right under my skin! First chapter done. Hopefully it was secretive enough to keep your interest. Who is this stranger? How is Kai suffering? What will happen next?

All this and more shall be answered in chapters to come. As well as some good romance between Kai and Ray. Yay! I love writing about Kai and Ray!

Please review and tell me your thoughts.

Kiki


	2. His Other Life

**Review Replies  
**Suzanne: Thanks so much for your review! I'm glad you're liking the story so far. Please enjoy this chapter.

* * *

Hey! So, thank you for the reviews and support (alerts and favourites) that you've given this story.

Disclaimer: I do own Beyblade. Yup, I do. This not a lie: I own Beyblade. I am not a liar, I have never lied in my life...ever! ... Yeah right! Pfft! Who'd belive that! Ok, seriously I don't own Beyblade.

WARNINGS: Mentions of drinking. Bad language.

Last Time: Kai returns to Tyson's abode from somewhere the Bladebreakers know not. It is clear, to Ray anyway, that Kai has some kind of problem as the phoenix has resorted to drink. Kai however pushes Ray away claiming it's none of Ray's business. Max had been in a relationship with Mariam but Ozuma had separated them leaving a miserable Max. And finally Bryan and Tala were taking care of a stranger who seems to be very childish and seemingly in control of the situation.

What will happen next?

Enjoy!

* * *

**Breathless **

**Chapter Two: His Other Life**

"Come on, Kai! Come on!"

Kai sighed and pushed the hair out of his eyes; he was tired, he needed a drink and he wanted to stop. That was not going to happen. He looked up at the bounding figure ahead of him and watched with a drained feeling as the stranger came running back with a huge ice-cream in his hands "slow down" the phoenix spoke crisply to the younger stranger "and watch where you're running with that thing"

"Aye captain Kai!" the younger boy, for boy he was, ran off again scoffing his ice-cream and rushing around excitedly startling passers by as he did so.

"You wouldn't think he was fifteen, would you?" sniffed Tala coming to stand next to Kai "that's only three years younger than you and yet he acts as if he's no older than six"

"It's not his fault" Kai replied.

"Hm! You do realise he acts like a brat because you let him get away with it, don't you?" Tala glanced at the bluenette beside him "if that were anyone else you would punish them for their insolence"

"Your point being?" asked Kai in dark tones. He knew where Tala was going with this and he didn't like it.

"My point being you might want to look at why you put up with him at all," answered the red head coolly "I think you'll find it's because you feel guilty"

"What I feel and why I do anything is none of your business" Kai turned to face Tala and stared at him levelly "now why don't you tell me what's really going through your mind?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean"

Kai snorted, "don't give me that! I know you've got something to say so stop being the coward, Tala and say it!"

Tala's eyes flashed, "fine" his voice became cold "I'm starting to lose my patience, Kai. With him. With you. And with the whole fucking situation. I can't take much more of this. I am not a babysitter and I am not a doctor which is what _he_ needs. The only reason why I've stuck it out for this long is because you are my teammate, but that excuse is rapidly wearing thin, Kai"

"If you're getting so bored with it then why don't you just fuck off?" snapped Kai. His temper was rising; he really didn't need this right now, he didn't need Tala walking out on him.

"I might just do that!" Tala glared back at Kai sensing the phoenix's rising temper "and I'll take Bryan with me!"

"See if I care" Kai replied turning away from the wolf. He took a step away from the redhead but Tala's next words stopped him in his tracks.

"We're all walking away from you, Kai" Tala's voice was low, it hissed poisonously "first Ian walked out. Then Spencer. It'll be Bryan and I next. That leaves you alone with him and your precious Bladebreakers! Do the right thing!"

"And what's that?" Kai asked in a calm voice.

"Abandon him and go back to your team"

"I can't do that"

"Then pack him off to a doctor somewhere!"

"I can't do that either" Kai looked over his shoulder "if my grandfather found out-"

"Voltaire can't possibly know every little thing you do!" barked Tala "for fuck's sake stop using your grandfather as an excuse!"

"My grandfather is not an excuse and yes, he does know everything I do"

"Then why hasn't the old man found out about your little charge then?" spat the wolf.

"Because-"

"Hey!"

Tala and Kai whirled round as Bryan sauntered over to them scrunching on a chocolate bar with great enjoyment and gusto "you might wanna go get said charge before said charge decides things are taking too long and head butts his way in to getting some beyblade action"

Both the wolf and phoenix cursed.

* * *

"Ray! Come on dude! Lets go lets go lets go!" Tyson hollered through his home "your hair looks fantastic so stop fussing and lets go already!"

From inside his room Ray rolled his eyes and continued to search through Kai's bag.

Ok, what he was doing was wrong.

He knew what he was doing was wrong.

He knew if Kai ever found out then Ray would soon be begging his way in to hell.

He knew if Kai ever noticed his stuff had been searched then Ray could say goodbye to his body as he knew it.

He knew what he was doing was wrong.

Going through someone's private stuff was bad manners to say the least.

And yet still Ray searched through. Trying to find some clue to Kai's regular disappearances. Anything. Something. A clue. It could be anything just as long as it gave Ray the reason why Kai, the pillar of ice phoenix, had resorted to drink. Ray knew something was wrong. Kai was looking pale and tired and Ray wanted to know why. So it was wrong to be so nosy but the way Ray looked at it, he was Kai's teammate and friend.

Therefore it was his duty to discover what troubled his captain.

That, and he was slightly curious.

Ok, make that very curious.

But, he was a neko-jin.

Curiosity ran through his blood.

"Ray! Come ooooooooooooooooooooooon!" Tyson's whine echoed down the hallway again "lets gooooooooooo!"

Ray sighed.

There was nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Irritably he shoved the bag back where he'd found it and grabbed his beyblade; it had been a while since he'd launched a beyblade but still, he found it hard to walk away from his white tiger blade. He never felt right if he didn't have his beyblade.

"RAY!"

"I'm coming!" Ray called back kicking the world's most offending book back under the bed. He still hadn't found a good hiding place to keep _Barry Pouter And The Puffed Up Pervert_. He didn't dare touch _Lord Of The Loved Up Hobbit And The Two Wanking Wizards._ He didn't know where Tyson and Max had found those books but he sure as hell knew neither of them had even looked at what they were buying.

The books lying under Ray's bed weren't funny, arousing or even good.

They were just WRONG.

"RAYMOND! IF YOU DON'T COME OUT OF THAT ROOM RIGHT NOW I'LL COME IN THERE AND GET YOU!"

Ray jumped at the sound of Hilary's shrill voice, he hadn't known she'd arrived, he hadn't even known she'd got back from her holiday; from the kitchen he could hear Max call to him "run while you still got the chance, Ray! I'll hold her off!"

Smiling ironically at this, because he knew no one in the given world could ever hold Hilary back, Ray left his room and walked down to the kitchen checking his reflection in the hallway mirror as he always did to make sure he didn't look like a total idiot "I'm here"

"Finally!" Tyson huffed "I swear, one more minute and we would have left you behind"

"Honestly Ray, if you were going any slower you'd be going backwards" scolded Hilary as she pulled the neko-jin in to a hug and ruffled his hair.

"Good to see you too" Ray replied with a grin "how was the holiday?"

"Uh! Finally someone has noticed I haven't been here recently!" here Hilary cast a scowl to the other members of the Bladebreakers "it was wonderful! So hot and sunny! _And so many hot guys in nothing but swimming trunks_!" she squealed.

Ray chuckled "so did the holiday sort out the problems between your parents?" he asked as they all prepared to leave and Tyson cursed Daichi because the little monkey had opened the fridge.

Once Daichi had opened the fridge, there was no getting him out.

He was even worse than Tyson.

"I can officially say that yes, the holiday did sort out their problems" Hilary answered.

"And?"

"They're getting a divorce at the first opportunity"

"I'm sorry Hils"

"Hey it's not so bad" the brunette grinned, "I only have to mention the word divorce and dad zooms out to the shop to buy me presents"

"Oh well in that case"

"ARE WE GOING OR NOT!" roared Tyson

Max, who had the misfortune of standing next to the dragon, shook the ringing noise from his ears "a little louder, Tyson. I don't think they quite heard that in Madrid"

"What up me homies? Me thought you were all ganging off to the big party that's slamming round here" grandpa wandered in to the kitchen with his usual grin "time to stop slugging and get digging!"

As one the room looked from the old Granger to the younger Granger for the translation "he says we should get going to the beyblade tournament" Tyson said on seeing the multiple blank faces.

"Oh, is that what he said?" muttered Max.

"Three years I've known that man" Ray whispered to the blonde "and I've still no idea what he says"

They both suppressed a smirk.

Tyson lost his patience "come on come on! Lets gooooooo!"

"Alright, we're ready" Kenny sighed "let's take the register" the little genius cleared his throat and, much to Tyson's aggravation, proceeded to read from a crumpled list he'd pulled from his pocket "Max, are you here?"

"No" Max grinned, "the Max you see before you is nothing but a figment of your imagination"

"Ray?"

"Nope"

"Tyson?"

"Kenny, we don't need to take a damn register! We're not in pre-school anymore!"

"Hilary?"

"Sexy, sassy, single and all present and accounted for"

"Daichi?"

"Hey! Who drank the last of the milk?"

"Grandpa?"

"Dig a dog man!"

"I'm here naturally" Kenny looked at the bottom of his list "and last of all, Kai?"

"Gone" replied Ray.

Kenny looked up with a disapproving look "Ray, please do not speak for Kai"

"Well Kai's not going to speak for himself, he's not here" Ray pointed out.

"Then where is he?"

"Canada? Mars? The Moon? You tell me"

Kenny sighed and shook his head with distaste "if Kai carries on like this he's going to become a ghost of the team's past"

"I'm sure he has his reasons" Ray muttered.

"That may be, but it would be of a help if he told us about them" Kenny grumbled.

"Like Kai would tell us anything!" Tyson growled having finally lost his patience "point is, we're all present and accounted for so lets go!"

* * *

"Slow down!" Kai snapped for what seemed the hundredth time; if Tala thought he was running out tolerance then that was nothing compared to what Kai was feeling round about now. His charge had done nothing but torment and shove his way around the various dishes where the fights were being held and Kai could feel his temper flaring. One more push and he would snap. He couldn't go on like this. He felt like he was going mad.

He needed a drink.

Some time on his own.

A break.

Something or someone to distract him.

Anything.

Something.

"Buuuuuuuuut Kaiiiii!" whined his charge "I wanna see the matcheeeees!"

"Then do it quietly" Kai growled in a low voice "but one wrong move and we're going home"

"Okay, I'll be goooooood!" his charge smiled brightly "I promise!"

"Hn!"

Kai needed a drink.

That or a very large hammer.

He didn't mind which.

Both would be even better.

Tala appeared at his side with a cold look at the boy who was, at present, misbehaving "we got trouble"

Kai looked where Tala nodded to and his heart sank when he saw the Bladebreakers charging in to the stadium; well, Tyson and Daichi rushed in while the rest walked in without ploughing in to anyone. Kai caught a glimpse of Ray signing someone's photo; the neko-jin was still popular amongst the fans, Tyson may be the champion but when it came to looks and charm, Ray was the winner by a long way. Kai too still had fans who pestered him.

He just didn't have the charm.

Nor did he have the patience.

Something his smarter fans had soon learnt quite quickly.

Others weren't so clever.

But Kai felt he got the point across quite effectively.

"Kaiiii! I wanna see the match! It's starting!"

"Then go to your seat" Kai ordered "keep to the back, and don't cause trouble"

"I want you to come with me!" the young stranger pouted and bounced around Kai.

"I have something to deal with-" Kai began.

"We'll deal with the Bladebreakers" Tala interrupted "you go look after _it_"

"Fine" Kai nodded "but don't anything illegal"

Both Bryan and Tala smirked.

Kai separated from them and started up the steps to the back of the stadium where he'd booked the seats; he knew the Bladebreakers would have secured seats down below at the front, if he planned this right and kept near an exit he and his charge could be gone before the Bladebreakers even turned round.

That's if he could keep his charge under control.

"Why did I agree to this?" he sighed as he spotted his charge waving frantically at him from the seats at the top.

"Come on, Kai! I'm here! I'm here!"

* * *

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here, Bryan"

Tyson and Max turned as one to see the pair of tall Russians standing behind them, arms folded and sadistic expressions "ah, what do you guys want?" Tyson moaned "can't you go ruin someone else's day"

"But I thought you liked us, Tyson" Tala's smirked became pronounced.

"I do, but at a distance" muttered Tyson.

"That's not very nice" Bryan took a step forward menacingly "we're supposed to be friends, remember"

"All lovey dovey friends" Tala agreed also taking a step forward.

Their bodies blocked Tyson and Max's view of the audience. Most importantly their bodies blocked Kai from view.

"Only when you're not being creeps" Tyson answered more bravely than he felt.

"Did you just call me a creep?" asked Bryan; he gasped a mock gasp "he just called me a creep, Tala. That's not kind"

"Not very kind at all" Tala replied, "I think that deserves a punishment"

"Yes, something painful I think" Bryan added.

Tyson gulped.

"Now come on" Max intervened hurriedly, stepping in front of Tyson "it doesn't need to be like this. Why don't we all just go and sit down? The main beybattle is about to start"

"But he called me a creep" Bryan objected taking a step closer to Max.

Again, this blocked Max's view of the audience.

"Well, why not just forgive and forget?" suggested Max with a lot less confidence now Bryan was in reach.

"But I wasn't brought up to forgive and forget" Bryan pointed out.

Max faltered at this statement and realised that it was quite true.

He gulped.

"Hey guys" Ray appeared at Tyson's side with a mild look of irritation, the neko-jin held up the two large ice-creams he had in his hands "I'm not holding these for my health, you know"

"Oh yeah" Tyson grabbed his ice-cream and swallowed a huge mouthful in order to stop himself saying anything else stupid that could cause him bodily harm; this plan did not work as well as he had intended and he bent double releasing a small scream.

"I didn't do anything," asked Tala with a look of genuine interest "what's the matter with him?"

"Brain freeze" Max and Ray replied as one.

Ray turned to Bryan and Tala "can we help you with something?" he asked calmly.

"I thought you'd be happy to see us" Bryan gave a mock pout "we're supposed to be friends, but you're not being very nice"

"Hm" Ray replied, he looked around "so where's Kai?"

Bryan and Tala looked up sharply from watching Tyson scream, "why should Kai be here?"

"Oh come on" Ray sighed "don't give me that. We all know fine well you two don't come anywhere near a tournament, not unless Kai's with you"

"Kai's not our babysitter" Tala responded coolly. His blue eyes narrowed slightly.

He'd forgotten Ray had a brain.

"I didn't say he was" Ray answered back "I just merely made the point that you two never show up at a tournament without him"

"Well, we're always ones to surprise" Bryan sneered, "aren't we, Tala?"

"Indeed" Tala nodded.

Ray shrugged and backed off "alright. Maybe Kai's not here" he turned back to Tyson and Max "you coming, guys? We're sitting over there"

Bryan and Tala watched the trio go with looks of suspicion; Tala leant his head sideways "watch him" he told Bryan not taking his eyes from Ray's retreating back.

Bryan nodded and melted away in to the crowd that jostled each other to get to their appointed seats. Tala stood in this crowd untouched; people pressed themselves together in a bid to stay clear of the tall pale redhead that stayed emotionless watching the Bladebreakers who were in the process of taking their seats, a procedure that always took longer than necessary due to Tyson and Daichi. Then Tala changed his gaze.

From the Bladebreakers to their captain.

"What are you doing, Hiwatari?" the wolf muttered, "you cannot have both your team and your charge. Realise that before one kills the other"

* * *

"Kai, why are we going now?" the strange fifteen year old boy whined as Kai forcibly dragged him down the street "I wanted to see the winner!"

"We have to go now" Kai replied, "now move"

"But I wanted to see the winner!" complained his charge "it's not faaaair!"

"You wanted to go to the tournament and I took you" Kai's tone was sharp "now stop protesting and move"

"But-"

"No! You know it's dangerous for you to be out in public"

Tears appeared in the boy's eyes "it's because you're ashamed of me, isn't it? That's why you don't want me to meet your friends!"

"No, that's not it at all" Kai answered but it was too late.

His charge pulled away from Kai, sat down on the road and burst in to tears.

Kai gritted his teeth.

"_YOU DON'T WANT ME, YOU DON'T LIKE ME! IT'S NOT FAIR! WHAT DO I DO WRONG, KAI? WHY ARE YOU ASHAMED OF ME? I DON'T UNDERSTAND! I TRY TO BE GOOD, I DO! I TRY TO PLEASE YOU BUT NOTHING EVER WORKS? TELL ME, KAI! WHY DON'T YOU LIKE ME_?"

Kai massaged his temple; he wasn't cut out for this.

"_TELL ME! WHAT AM I DOING WRONG_?"

"Just shut up!" Kai snarled losing his temper and spinning round to stand above the boy sitting on the ground. That voice. It went right through him every time.

It made him so angry.

* * *

Ray looked at the kitchen clock.

11:30 pm.

He sighed and swirled his glass of wine around.

He wasn't waiting for Kai.

He absolutely wasn't waiting for Kai.

He just happened to be in the kitchen looking at the clock and noticing that Kai still wasn't back.

But he wasn't waiting for Kai.

Ray set down his glass and placed his head in his hands, resting on his elbows. From the sitting room he could hear Tyson, Max and Daichi all singing along to _Mamma Mia_, not for the first time. The three of them loved that movie; in all honesty Ray couldn't care less if he never saw Colin Firth with long hair ever again.

Kenny had retired to bed saying that he was tired.

He couldn't stand _Mamma Mia_ either.

Hilary had returned home at nine with promises she'd see them tomorrow.

So that just left Kai.

Ray chewed his lip absently as his mind slipped from Kai to the other pair of Russians he'd seen that day. What had Tala and Bryan been doing at that tournament anyway? Ray knew for certain both had retired from blading all together, and he was right in thinking they never went to a tournament without Kai. Had Kai been there? But if he had, then why had he been there?

Surely Kai would have preferred to attend the tournament with the Bladebreakers rather than Bryan and Tala.

Or may that was Ray's wishful thinking.

He sighed again and looked at the bottle of wine in front of him before pouring himself a second glass; he wasn't one for getting smashed, but he did like his wine, and, when all things considered, what were his choices? Watching Meryl Streep prance around in dungarees for two hours or another glass of wine? Maybe he should go outside and wait for Kai by the gate.

Then he remembered he wasn't waiting for Kai.

He looked at the kitchen clock again.

11:33 pm

Either time was standing still or the clock had stopped working. Ray was sure it had been longer than three minutes since he last checked the time.

He swallowed a mouthful of wine and decided that he was bored.

Really bored.

And tired.

And actually quite grumpy.

Here he was patiently waiting for Kai to show up and the phoenix didn't even have the manners to-

"You planning to drink all of that?"

Ray's glass went spinning out of his hand and skidded across the table as he let out a yelp and jumped up "you did it again!" he half shouted "it's every time! Every time you come back you scare me to death!" he whirled round to face the phoenix who was calmly closing the door and locking it "give me some warning dammit!"

Kai suppressed a small noise of amusement as he turned back to face Ray "what did I do this time?"

"You sneaked!" Ray clenched his fists in frustration "you always sneak! Every time! _I swear you do it on purpose_-" the neko-jin stopped, his frustration died and his eyes widened as he saw Kai standing by the door pressing one hand to his shoulder "you're bleeding!"

* * *

And there's chapter two! It's obvious strange things are happening, but what are they? And who is Kai's strange little charge?

More to come!

Please review.

Thanks for reading.

Kiki


	3. Just A Few Secrets

**Review Replies  
**Suzanne: Thanks so much for your review! I'm really pleased you like the story; I have to admit I'm quite proud of it so far! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks again for this review and your others.

American Farmer: Thank you so much for your review! All shall be explained about Kai's charge, I promise. Thanks again!

* * *

And so, here I am with a new chapter!

Yay!

Christmas is coming! That's good because I get presents, but bad because I am FREEZING! Forget fashion, I'm just trying to keep warm!

Another thing I hate about Christmas; you have these friends, you've known them for YEARS and yet you have NO idea what to buy them for Christmas. They're no help because they say "get me anything, I don't mind. I like anything"

Fine, I'll get you an empty cardboard box and see how much you like that!

Anyway, let's not get totally carried away with my delights and irritations of Christmas!

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade nor any of its characters. I wonder what Kai would think about Christmas...

WARNINGS: Bad language.

Well, here is chapter three.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Breathless**

**Chapter Three: Just A Few Secrets**

"Hold still dammit!"

"Then get on with it"

"I will if you just keep still!"

"It's not me who's moving. You're the one with the shaking hands"

"You keep glaring at me, it's making me nervous"

"Oh, is that your excuse"

"It's not an excuse!"

"It isn't? You could have fooled me"

"Look you! Stop answering back and keep still!" Ray growled exasperatedly.

"Well stop slopping antiseptic on to that cotton wool" Kai replied coolly eyeing the ball of soggy cotton wool clasped tightly between Ray's fingers.

"The wound needs to be clean" Ray told him, not for the first time "honestly, anyone would think I was pouring acid on to your shoulder"

"Stop waving that bottle around" Kai ordered as Ray gestured with the open bottle of antiseptic.

"I'm just dabbing a little more on the-"

"No you're fucking not" Kai interrupted, he tried to reach for the small bottle in Ray's hand "give that here"

"No!" Ray swiped the bottle out the way "the wound needs to be clean!"

"It is clean"

"It's not! You've got grit and mud engrained!"

"I did, now I don't so give that here"

"No" Ray moved the bottle from Kai's reach and pushed the half naked phoenix back on the chair "now sit" he sighed and peered at the long slice on the top of Kai's shoulder "honestly, who would have thought you, of all people, would be scared of a little antiseptic"

"You've practically used the whole bottle" Kai retorted as Ray gently wiped the sodden cotton wool ball across Kai's bared shoulder. The phoenix hissed at the stinging pain searing through his shoulder and thought rather briefly that not even Boris's punishment sessions were as painful as this.

Ray ignored the hisses and the odd glare thrown his way; every time Kai tried to move he pushed the phoenix back down in to the chair with an irritated sigh "sit still!"

"No. If you think I'm putting up with this anymore then-"

"Sit down or I'll tell the whole world that you sing in the shower!" Ray threatened.

Kai raised an eyebrow "that's not true"

Ray smirked "you know that, and I know that. But all your precious fans out there don't, and God knows how many reporters would love a dirty secret on you"

Kai's eyes narrowed with cynicism "you wouldn't do that anyway"

Ray's smirk intensified "Wouldn't I?"

They stared each other down for a moment; Kai's intense fiery eyes boring in to Ray's golden orbs, Kai searched Ray's expression and sat back down with pursed lips. Smugly Ray continued to clean the blood off Kai's shoulder.

"I remember when I was scared of you" he mused "you were so scary I didn't like being on my own with you"

"Bring back the good days" was Kai's grumpy and, it had to be said, sulky response.

Ray smiled and inspected the wound "well, it's stopped bleeding at least. And it's clean"

"Finally" muttered Kai standing up.

"Now, for the bandage"

Kai sat back down again.

Ray used the small scissors to cut off a length of bandage and inspected the wound on the top of Kai's left shoulder; the rip in the pale skin started from Kai's collarbone and stretched over his shoulder to the nape of his neck. The amount of blood was deceiving and when Ray had taken a proper look at it, he'd found the cut not to be deep or serious. On the other hand, had the slice been a few centimetres to the right it would have cut one of Kai's main arteries.

"So, you gonna tell me what happened?" the neko-jin asked softly.

"No"

Ray frowned "why not?"

"Because it's none of your business"

"But surely we should call the police and-"

"No"

"But-"

"I said no"

"Kai, you need to tell-"

"I said no, Ray" Kai gave the tiger a firm look "if you tell anyone about this then I'll make your life a living hell"

"But Kai-"

"No"

Ray sighed and carefully plastered in place the white material to cover the long slice in Kai's shoulder "why won't you tell me?" he asked.

"It's none of your business" Kai repeated.

"Were you attacked? Mugged? Did Bryan finally go mad and let loose with his private collection of daggers?"

"Ray, what have I just said?"

"That it was none of my business" Ray replied "and I heard you. But, you need to tell someone about this, Kai. This is serious, it looks like someone tried to sever your arm off or something"

"Now you're letting your imagination get the better of you"

"I'm being serious, Kai!" Ray insisted, "you need to tell-"

"Don't you have secrets?" Kai asked abruptly.

Ray was taken aback about the sudden and apparent irrelevance of the question Kai had shot at him "well, of course…I mean, no! Or rather…" he trailed off.

"Right then. This is my secret" Kai stood "so, not one word to anyone. Understand?"

Ray sighed again and put down the roll of bandage he hadn't used "fine, but I think you're being stupid about this"

"I don't care what you think" Kai answered bluntly. He grabbed his blooded shirt from the table and walked out the room without another word, leaving Ray behind feeling hurt and resentful that Kai had used him and walked off again without so much as a consideration to what Ray thought about the situation.

"Yeah, I have a secret" Ray murmured as he sat back down again "just one" he grabbed his bottle of wine and his half empty glass "much good it does me"

He glared crossly at the clock and flicked his glass watching the wine wobble; looking out the window he saw it was raining again, it had been raining a lot recently which was unusual for the time of year. Ray hated rain, almost as much as he hated Bryan. Cursing the rain, the fact he was feeling so bad tempered and Kai he lifted his glass and placed it against his forehead, his brow furrowed as the cool glass eased his pounding headache.

Taking a sip he suddenly realised someone was standing over him and looking up he saw, to his surprise, Kai standing over him still topless "yes?"

"Forgive me" the phoenix softly "I didn't intend to be so harsh"

"Hmph!" Ray scowled at the window.

If Kai was taken aback by Ray's lack of amnesty he didn't show it, instead he pursed his lips and said coolly "I'm not going to beg for your forgiveness, you know I'm sorry so it's up to you now"

"Hmph!"

Kai took a step back "fine" he frowned at Ray wondering why the neko-jin was being so grumpy; then he saw the bags under Ray's eyes "you should get some rest" he said rather lightly "you look like you could use some"

This rather rare show of concern for his teammate went down like a sack of potatoes; Ray continued to glare grumpily at the window holding his glass back to his forehead, Kai sighed and, wondering why he ever bothered to be nice to anyone at all, walked from the room feeling a little irritated that Ray was taking out his grumpiness on him.

Grabbing a clean top from the laundry room the phoenix made his way to the sitting room where he knew the alcohol was kept and walked in just as Tyson and Max decided to watch _Mama Mia_ again.

"Hey Kai. You wanna watch _Mama Mia_ with us?"

"Do you want me to boil your head in a bowl of scorching soup?"

"No"

"Then don't ask stupid questions"

Tyson rolled his eyes and settled back in the sofa "oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. You're gonna have to share Ray's room because grandpa's having your usual room redecorated"

"Fine" Kai opened the drinks cupboard.

His eyes narrowed.

"Oh you want a drink?" Max said noticing "you'll have to ask Ray, he spent the whole evening taking them out the cupboard and hiding them in strange places. I can't exactly figure out why"

"I just assumed it was a neko-jin thing" Tyson mused as Kai's expression became very dark.

"What? You mean like an urge to store things?"

"Yeah, you know what he's like with cat toys"

Both Tyson and Max failed to notice the air of impending death that materialised around Kai as the phoenix shut the cupboard, stood and walked quietly back to the kitchen.

* * *

Ray walked over to the sink and washed his glass; swilling it out with water he vaguely wondered when Kai would discover the empty drinks cupboard and how he would react. Knowing Kai, the phoenix wouldn't take too kindly to it. The neko-jin bit his lip as his mind drifted to the large slice on Kai's shoulder, it had looked like a sharp blade had been slipped across the phoenix's skin. How had Kai allowed that to happen? He was Kai. He never let anyone within hundred metre radius of him. More to the point, if Kai was attacked then he would give as good as he got if not worse. Had Kai fought with his attacker?

Surely he must have done.

And then there was the drinking.

How had Kai, proud and arrogant Kai, got himself caught up with drinking?

It bothered Ray.

More than that, it worried him.

Of course, what should have worried Ray more was the very dark shadow standing in the doorway waiting for him to turn round.

It wasn't the fact that Ray had hidden the alcohol that got to Kai. What got to Kai was that Ray had pried around and had decided that Kai needed someone to curb his drinking. That was a step too close to control for Kai's liking. He'd spent enough of his life being controlled and he was not going to allow Ray to even attempt such a thing, better to teach the neko-jin now before Ray decided what kind of boxers Kai was going to wear.

He waited patiently and watched as Ray leant against the kitchen side and looked out the window with a depressed air; Ray's hair was twisted back in to a tight plait which trailed down his back save for the few disobedient strands, his bangs, pushed back by the bandana, curved to the shape of his face.

Ray turned from the window and spotted Kai with a jolt.

"Kai" Ray cleared his throat and suddenly felt a little exposed, as if he was standing naked in a room full of people.

Kai had that effect on people.

Ray wished he didn't because it was always quite disconcerting, especially when Kai's expression was more than slightly irritated. Ray felt he should get in there first, that way at least he stood a small chance of surviving "now, I know what you're thinking"

"You do?" Kai stepped in to the light.

"Yes. You're thinking that this is my way of controlling you and that this will only lead to more control"

"That's what I'm thinking" Kai folded his arms and frowned.

"Well, you're wrong" Ray said calmly.

"I am?"

"Yes" Ray stood firm back the sink but had a little glance round for all the nearest exits, just in case.

There was the front door.

"You're now going to tell me how I'm wrong?" asked Kai.

There was the door leading to the sitting room.

"Exactly. Because curbing what you drink and ordering you about are two entirely different things" Ray replied "and anyway, since when did you let people order you around?"

There was the kitchen window.

"Since when did you feel the need to push your way in to my business?" Kai answered back.

And, in cases of dire emergency, there was the rubbish bin.

"Kai, there was two bottles in your bag when you arrived" Ray folded his own arms "I think I'm right to have cause for concern"

"And who gives you the right to decide if I'm drinking too much?"

"Listen to yourself" Ray's jaw set stubbornly "it already sounds like the drink it talking for you"

Next thing Ray knew he was flat on his back pressed on the table with Kai leaning over him, a fiery glare in his red eyes and a hand round Ray's throat "don't talk to me like that" Kai didn't sound angry but his voice hit Ray like a dead weight in the face "I'm in control of my own person and don't you forget that"

"_Yeah_, that's what they all say" Ray replied coolly.

This time Kai didn't hide his glare "I don't know what your problem is but I don't like your tone"

"My problem?" for the first time Ray's temper began to bubble, "you have your hand round my neck and you want to know my problem?"

This seemingly sank in to Kai because he pulled back almost abruptly and let Ray sit up; there was a silence as both Kai and Ray collected their thoughts, Ray set his feet on a chair and looked over at Kai who had turned to the window absently rubbing his shoulder where the cut obviously ached.

"What happened to you?" Ray asked in a soft voice.

"I told you, it's none of your business" Kai replied "don't concern yourself with it"

"I'm not talking about that cut" Ray continued "I'm talking about you as a person, Kai" he paused awaiting to see if Kai was going to say anything and, when Kai said nothing, he carried on "you're not the Kai that left three months ago. Why have you starting drinking? What happened to you tonight? Why do you keep leaving us? What's going on?"

"Nothing"

Ray nearly fell off the table "don't lie to me!" he snapped "and don't treat me like a fool either! I know damn well there's something going on!"

"Nothing to concern yourself with"

Ray stood from the table and turned to face Kai fiercely "look me in the eyes and say that!"

Kai looked at him; red eyes met golden and they locked each determined to outstare the other, and, for a moment, the world around them faded and slipped away until the only sound was the ticking of the clock that could be heard flicking loudly from one second to the next, then Kai broke the gaze "I'm not repeating myself" he turned away and, grabbing a glass, shoved it under the tap filling it with water.

This only aggravated Ray further and he whirled round on the phoenix "why won't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"Tell me what's going on! Why you're being like this!"

"Like what?"

Ray growled "like that!" he fumed "so goddamn awkward!"

"I'm just an awkward person" Kai took a sip of water and turned back to Ray "I don't see why you're so interested"

"Because I'm worried about you" Ray said before his brain had time to tell him that wasn't what he wanted to say.

Kai raised an eyebrow "why? There's nothing wrong"

"Except you come back tonight and you won't tell me who attacked you, except you've starting drinking and-"

"None of that is your business" Kai interrupted "I've already said I'm not telling you"

"_Grr_! Stop blocking me out!" Ray clenched his fists in frustration "I know there's something wrong, Kai! So just tell me what that is!"

"I've said there's nothing wrong"

"_That_ is clearly not true"

Kai folded his arms and locked his eyes with Ray's; the tiger glared back at him with mounting irritation. They stayed motionless for a time, neither wanting to give up first and lose to the other. Neither blinked, golden glared determinedly in to red; Ray was tougher than Kai had given him credit for, he'd underestimated Ray's stubbornness which, at the moment, would have given Tyson a run for his money.

"I'm not telling you" Kai said in a slow deliberate voice.

"I could help you" Ray replied not taking his eyes from Kai's.

"No, you couldn't"

"You're not even giving me a chance!"

Kai broke the connection between them "this conversation is over, Ray" he turned from the kitchen.

"You know I'm gonna keep bothering you about this" Ray growled "you may as well tell me now and save yourself a lot of annoyance"

"I'm not telling you"

"So you admit you're keeping something from me?" Ray picked up quickly.

Kai's eyes narrowed slightly as he made for the front door "I admit nothing"

"Where are you going?" Ray demanded furiously as Kai pulled on his coat, hissing when pain flared through his shoulder, and opened the front door out in to the raining night.

"Seeing as you've hidden all the drinks I'm going to have buy some of my own," Kai replied, "I'll be back later"

The phoenix left Ray standing there and shut the door, walking out in to the rain with a savage air; Ray had no right to pry in to his affairs. It wasn't like Ray could do anything anyway. Kai stopped and shook his head to rid himself of the notion. There was no way he'd ever let Ray near his charge, it would put Ray in too much danger.

Back in the kitchen Ray sighed and pushed his bangs out from his eyes before pulling out Kai's wallet which he'd nicked when Kai had slammed him to the table "well, I doubt you can buy much without this" he muttered.

He'd find out the reason behind Kai's secrecy.

He'd find Kai's attacker.

He knew Kai needed help.

He'd give Kai his help.

Even if he had to tie Kai down to do it.

* * *

Kai's charge peered round the wall and gave a squeak of surprise as he saw Kai coming towards him; the boy dived round the wall and hid behind a bin as he listened to Kai pass by. He waited until he could see Kai round the corner before slipping out from behind the bin; quietly the boy crept up towards the building in front of him. He saw the light on in the kitchen and padded over to it curiously to look inside.

He saw a guy, around Kai's own age, long sleek raven hair and golden eyes. He watched the young man stash a wallet in a cereal box which he then placed at the back of a cupboard. The boy, Kai's charge, tilted his head in curiosity.

"This is Kai's secret?"

What was so special about this guy? Why did Kai keep sneaking off to see this guy? There was a movement from kitchen and the boy ducked momentarily as two more guys walked in to the kitchen and raided the fridge. Creeping back up to the window ledge the boy watched them, trying to see through the rain water that ran down the window and made everything ripple.

He watched the blonde pounce on the one with long raven hair; they both fell to the floor in a heap while the third, the one with a hat, laughed at them both until a hand reached up and pulled him crashing down amongst more howls of laughter. Kai's charge didn't understand it.

This was what Kai kept leaving him for.

A bunch of idiots.

The boy watched as another boy, with a monkey face, came bounding in to the kitchen and promptly tripped over the pile on the floor. They were stupid. Morons. Surely Kai did not mix with such riff raff.

Did he?

Why would Kai leave him for this lot?

The boy didn't understand it.

When he'd followed Kai here he'd thought he would understand why Kai left him. He thought he would understand why Kai had dragged him to Japan. But he didn't. All he saw in that kitchen were fools. Why did Kai prefer their company to his? That wasn't fair.

More to the point, it was cruel of Kai.

How could Kai be so mean to him?

The boy felt tears well up in his eyes.

Why did Kai prefer these morons?

The boy realised he must have done something wrong. That was why Kai was over here instead of back at the Manor with Tala, Bryan and him. Well, he was going to do something about that. Whatever it was, whatever he'd done wrong, he'd put it right. He'd make Kai forgive him.

"Oi!"

Kai's charge turned from the window to see a sodden Tala march over to him "Tala!"

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" snarled Tala.

"Don't swear! It's bad manners!" scolded the boy "and I was only looking to see why Kai had disappeared"

"You know you don't leave the Manor by yourself!" snapped Tala.

"I can look after myself!" replied the boy, stung by Tala's impertinence "I'm fifteen years old!"

"Fuck that! Get back to the Manor!" Tala pointed out to the road "Bryan's waiting for us in a car!"

"But I wanna stay!"

"Move!"

"Ohhhh!"

"I said move!"

"You're no fun!" the boy pouted but left the window and ran out of the yard to the car waiting by the road side.

Tala looked in to the window the boy had been looking in to so interestedly. He could see Tyson and Max teasing Daichi while Ray ate his way through a cake. The Bladebreakers. Tala should have seen this coming. Of course Kai's charge would notice that Kai kept wandering off. Tala should have realised a few lies would not keep the boy's curiosity "fuck!" fumed the redhead "Kai! You fucking prick! What are you playing at!"

The redhead turned from the window and walked briskly to the car waiting for him; he could hear the boy calling for him excitedly. As he walked Tala thought about all the possible situations that could come from this.

He didn't know what was running through Kai's head.

He couldn't understand why Kai didn't see he'd just put the Bladebreakers in serious danger.

* * *

Why does Kai keep risking the Bladebreakers? I think it's probably because there's only so much of his 'charge' he can take, no one can blame him really. In his position I'd be screaming by now.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Please leave a review.

Kiki

Merry Christmas!


	4. From His Lips To His Mouth

**Review Replies  
**Yume no Anime: Thanks so much for your review, I'm happy you like the story. I've included Daichi a little more in this chapter, and he's actually been quite useful so thank you for inspiring the idea for me, haha! You'll soon find out who the stranger is too!

Suzanne: Hey there, thank you SO much for this review and all your others! I had a great Christmas and New Year, I hope you did too. Ray is definitely good at stealing, haha! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Yo People! How are you all? Last time I updated **Breathless** was before Christmas so I hope you all had a good Christmas and a Happy New Year!

So, Chapter Four. As requested by Yume no Anime there is more of Daichi, and as it happens Daichi has proved to be a very useful part of the story so I'm quite pleased with what I've come up with.

WARNINGS: Bad language. Hinted Yaoi-ness.

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade nor any of its characters.

Last Time: Kai returned back to Tyson's home injured and Ray clean the wound, much to Kai's displeasure. He and Ray had a small fight over what Kai was keeping from Ray who is worried about Kai because of the hinted drinking problem Kai is getting himself in to. While all this was going on someone (Kai's charge) was watching the Bladebreakers through the window and was incapable of understanding why Kai leaves him for a bunch of idiots (The Bladebreakers). Tala appeared on the scene and had feelings of trepidation about what Kai was doing and how he was risking the Bladebreakers.

Enjoy!

**

* * *

**

**Breathless**

**Chapter Four: From His Lips To His Mouth**

Ray arched his back and stretched his arms before opening his eyes and sitting up with yawn; having another stretch and pushing the hair from his eyes he reached for the small clock by his bed.

8:15 am.

The sun shone through the slim gap in the curtains sending a cleft of bright light across the room and darkening the remainder of the room in shadow. Not one to ever shut out the light Ray always opened his curtains the moment he awoke. Yawning once more the neko-jin scrambled out of bed and walked over to the window to open his curtains and let light in to the darkened room.

Sad to say, he'd forgotten about Kai.

"Whoa!"

Ray picked himself up from the tangled heap on the floor and sat back with a rather astonished expression; he heard a rustle of sheets as a dark form sat up. Ray grinned.

"Good morning, Kai"

"Raymond"

"I apologise for falling over you"

"So you should" replied Kai coolly "I don't appreciate your example of an alarm clock"

"There's no need to be like that, I didn't do it deliberately"

"If you say so"

"I _didn't_ do it on purpose"

"I believe you"

"You're lying"

"I never lie"

Ray snorted, "now I know you're lying"

"Hn" was Kai's less than expressive response as he laid back down "was there a reason you were tramping around like an elephant?"

"I wasn't tramping around like an elephant!"

"Tell that to my chest"

Ray aimed his foot to kick the infuriating phoenix but thought better of it, kicking Kai would probably hurt him a lot more than it would hurt the Russian. Kai was made of solid rock after all. Instead the neko-jin asked casually "you didn't get back until late last night, where did you go?"

"Since when did you become my mother?" Kai asked back hackles rising slightly.

Ray ignored this "I'm only asking…" he trailed off mid sentence with a sigh and enquired quietly "so, how much did you drink?"

"That is none of your business even if I had drunk anything" Kai closed his eyes.

"You didn't drink anything?"

"No"

"Why not?"

"_Someone_ stole my wallet, remember?"

"Oh yeah" Ray realised "forgot that"

"I want it back"

"You want what back?"

"Don't play dumb with me" Kai half snapped, "I want my wallet back"

"Oh. That"

"Yes. That"

"You'll get it back" Ray assured him.

Kai's eyes narrowed in the gloom "when exactly?"

Ray smiled so brightly Kai could practically see the neko-jin glowing "when I think you've got a handle on this drinking habit of yours"

"I haven't got a drinking habit"

Ray sighed emphatically "denial isn't going to get your wallet back to you"

He scrambled up to reach the curtains again, only to have Kai trip him up; for the second time Ray crashed down. He let out a curse.

"Ow!" he scowled at the phoenix who smirked "what was that for?"

"To stop you from opening the curtains"

"Why don't you want me to open the curtains?"

"Because I like the dark"

"Well I don't" Ray turned to the curtains and tried reach up to them but Kai grabbed his foot.

"You are not opening those curtains"

"It's my room dammit!" the neko-jin growled, "I can do what I like!"

"And I'm the captain" the phoenix answered back "which also means I can do what I like"

Ray huffed and glowered crossly; with a grunt of great determination he reached forward for his curtains again. Kai opened his eyes as a crack of light flashed across the room, setting his jaw and taking a firmer hold of Ray's foot he flicked his wrist with a jolt.

Ray found himself flying through the air, over Kai before landing on his bed with a thud.

"You are not opening those curtains" his captain stated.

Ray sighed and sat up "I'd forgotten sharing a room with you was hell"

"You're the one who purrs in his sleep" Kai retorted.

"I do not purr!"

"You certainly do" the phoenix pushed the hair from his eyes "all night, it's worse than snoring"

"I don't!"

"Yes, you do. Throughout the whole night I was periodically awoken by you purring" Kai replied, "it was a nightmare"

"I hope it kept you awake all night" Ray said with vengeance.

"It did"

"Excellent" Ray scrambled from his bed for the second time that morning and began to tread around in search of his clothes.

"Ow"

"Oh goodness! Was that your foot? I am SO sorry!"

Kai's eyes narrowed at Ray's less than sincere tone "sarcasm does not suit you, Raymond. It is the lowest form of humour"

"But humour is the highest form of intelligence" Ray answered back serenely "and don't call me Raymond. You know I hate it"

"You do? I'll have to remember that"

Ray pursed his lips at Kai's own sardonic tone but was spared from answering by the door crashing open; something that felt like an stampeding horse hit Ray in the midriff and sent him sprawling, he landed on Kai heavily who gave him a few Russian insults only to be kicked in the face by the person who had just head butted in to the neko-jin.

"Why do I get the feeling sleeping in here is going to be an occupational hazard?" the phoenix mused to himself as Ray and the person on top of Ray fought each other to gain some kind of vertical stance.

"Daichi, stop kicking me" Ray managed to grab what he hoped was a foot and shoved the body above him "get off"

"It's my birthday! It's my birthday! IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!" Daichi howled and sang in excitement hopping to the upright position in one smooth movement, he began to dance and whoop on top of the phoenix and tiger all the while hooting "happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!"

A foot caught Daichi between the legs.

The little monkey froze in place mid-dance and he fell backwards with a tiny squeal.

Kai sat up "I knew there was a reason I should have stayed away" he sighed.

"Oh come now, Daichi's birthday's aren't that bad" Ray reasoned.

"Do you remember the last one?"

"Hey, that wasn't Daichi's fault"

"Well, lets think about that, shall we?" Kai replied, "on Daichi's birthday last year we went to the aquarium"

"I know, I remember"

"Do you remember what happened at that aquarium?" the phoenix asked.

"It wasn't Daichi's fault"

"The fish tank broke, the fish escaped"

"Well yeah, but the keepers soon got them back, and none of us were in any danger"

"It was the shark tank, Raymond. They have made movies about the shark, and none of those movies are light-hearted"

"You're over reacting" Ray told him.

"Daichi then prolonged his havoc by setting free the octopuses" Kai continued in a deadpan voice.

"Yeah, but-"

"He also let loose the poisonous sea snakes"

"I know, but-"

"In fact, by the time we'd left the aquarium Daichi had managed to release over 80% of the entire aquarium"

"Yes but-"

"Raymond, 30% of the sea creatures that were 'released' died due to lack of water"

"Yes-"

"Another 20% were eaten by their natural enemies"

"I know-"

"Overall the keepers at the aquarium lost more than half their stock"

"Yes-"

"They had to shut down"

"I know-"

"The owner of the aquarium still phones me up with vows of revenge"

"Look, Daichi just thought he was doing the fish a favour" Ray cut in before Kai could carry on "he didn't think about what he was doing"

"You have that right" Kai agreed "I doubt Daichi is capable of having a proper thought, his head would probably explode"

"That's harsh!"

"But fair" Kai looked sideways at the neko-jin still laying on the floor next to him "so hit me, where does he want to go this year?"

Ray grinned "the zoo"

"Oh good God" Kai sat up "well, good luck, don't say I didn't warn you. And when the tiger does eat you, just remember that Daichi didn't mean to do it"

Ray rolled his eyes "that's not going to happen, Daichi has learnt his lesson"

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes I am" Ray gave the phoenix a soft thwack as reprimand "and, as you will soon see, we will all have a nice relaxing day at the zoo"

Kai snorted "you keep telling yourself that-" he stopped and looked at the neko-jin sharply "what do you mean _as I will soon see_?"

"Well…" Ray gave Kai a smile that held a slight hint of sadistic enjoyment "you're coming too of course"

Kai was quiet for a moment, before he said calmly "let me make this quite clear to you, Raymond"

"Yes Kai?" Ray's smile grew.

"There is no way in hell I am accompanying you to the zoo"

* * *

"Come on, Kai!" Tyson called over his shoulder "you're dragging behind!"

From behind them Kai gave Tyson a look that clearly stated he didn't give a flying fuck that he was dragging behind and Tyson could go stuff himself up to the lion's ass for all he cared. Tyson sniggered.

"I still can't believe you managed to get him to come" Hilary said as she grabbed Daichi before the monkey could aim a flying punch at the person in front of them who, in Daichi's opinion, was holding up the queue.

"Ahh, we Bladebreakers have discovered a fail safe scheme that enables us to take Kai wherever we want" Max told her with a grin and a wink.

"And that is?" the girl asked with only a small feeling of impending doom.

"What is the one thing that Kai will never be able to handle?" Kenny asked her with a grin most uncharacteristic of him.

"Tomatoes?"

"Other than tomatoes" Tyson snatched Daichi out the way of a mother with a double pram and a pair of bawling babies.

Hilary thought about this "I have absolutely no idea"

"It's simple" Tyson replied pulling Daichi from a zoo keeper who seemed to think Daichi was a type of animal "the one thing Kai will never be able to handle is a person who cries"

Hilary blinked "I'm not sure I follow"

"It's quite straight forward" Max explained "us Bladebreakers have realised that, whenever we want Kai to do something he'll never do, we cry"

"You cry?"

"Yep" Tyson grinned, "of course, crying does have its pains"

"It does?"

"For one thing our pride is in shatters" Max said, "big men like us don't normally cry"

Hilary gave an ambiguous cough at the word 'men' and asked, "alright, how do you make yourselves cry?"

"Well, that's the second pain" Tyson replied.

"It is?"

"Yup, for example…" the dragon turned to Ray who had been paying for the tickets "Ray, how did you make yourself cry this morning?"

Ray held up his hand with a rueful grin "had to slam my fingers in the door"

Hilary and Kenny winced at the sight of Ray's bruised and swollen fingers "I think he's broken his little finger" Kenny's vision swam at the mere thought.

Tyson smiled victoriously "see? As soon as Kai sees the tears in Ray's eyes he's like putty in your hands!"

"I am? I'll remember that next time"

Tyson jumped and span round to see Kai standing behind him arms folded and with the obligatory tapping foot. Tyson cleared his throat "uhh…hey there, Kai" the dragon leaned over to Max "our rouse has just been busted"

"Are you guys ready?" Ray called to them through the entrance gates of the zoo "I paid for the tickets so lets go"

"YAY! I wanna go see the monkeys!" Daichi cried with joy.

"Go talk to the keeper and see if they have a spare cage for you" Kai muttered under his breath as he stalked through the gates of the zoo with an air of distaste for everything around him.

"I'll go with Daichi to see the monkeys" Hilary suggested "you coming, Kenny?"

"As long as Daichi doesn't set the gorilla loose" Kenny nodded and the pair set off after the red head who was already miles ahead of them.

"I'm gonna check out the fish" Max turned to a building on their right "see you guys later"

"I'm going to the shop to buy ice-cream!" Tyson practically salivated at the thought "what about you, Ray?"

Ray looked at the map that revealed the layout of the zoo "I might see the tigers" he replied softly.

Tyson rolled his eyes "Ray, just because your Bitbeast is a tiger doesn't mean it's your duty to see the tigers. Use your imagination a little, dude"

"I happen to like tigers thank you" Ray replied coolly before turning to the statue of total distain that Kai had become "what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to sit by the exit and wait for your losers to get eaten by the lions or crocodiles" with that Kai stalked off leaving Tyson and Ray to watch his retreating back.

"I hope he gets eaten by the crocodiles" Tyson muttered evilly.

"Oh just ignore him" Ray clapped the dragon on the shoulder "you know Kai, sulky when he doesn't get what he wants"

"I'll second that" the dragon replied, "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Sure thing" Ray watched Tyson disappear in to the crowd and then turned his attention back to the map to ascertain where the tigers were kept. Chewing his lip he looked from left to right, wondering whether to see the tigers as he'd first planned, or follow Kai as the impulsive part of him wanted to do.

He was already walking down the pathway after Kai when he decided that the tigers weren't going anyway, whereas Kai could slip from one place to another without telling a soul where he intended to go.

"I just can't seem to keep away" the neko-jin muttered with a sigh as he looked through the throng of people in search of a person who had the ability to disappear in to crowds without a trace.

However, Kai was not as hard to find as Ray had first supposed; his golden eyes spotted the phoenix lying in the grass a few feet from the exit, Kai looked good in a shirt and jeans with boots and Ray found he was looking too much before he caught himself.

The sun was hot and the tiger unzipped his jacket to pull it off as he sat down next to the seemingly sleeping Russian; he stayed silent unsure why he was here or what he was going to say, sometimes it was so hard to talk to Kai when the phoenix didn't want to speak. And, occasionally, Ray found it even harder to act normal around Kai; there was something Ray found alluring, enticing and when he found himself looking, he just couldn't stop.

Kai's lips were pursed to a frown as the phoenix lay there but the rest of his features were settled to a look of complete disinterest for anything around. Still, Ray couldn't take his eyes from those lips, that mouth.

His interest in Kai came and went along with the phoenix; every time Kai left Ray swore to himself he'd give up whatever it was he had for Kai. He'd promised himself he was a normal guy, interested in the people he should be interested in; for a while this would work, for a while Ray could convince himself he felt nothing for Kai. For a while he could believe he wasn't a fool.

But then Kai would return, just when Ray's resolve had persuaded him that he was normal, and all of Ray's positive upbeat promises would fade away; Kai would look at him, or speak to him and Ray's vows would be swallowed by the fluttering in his stomach, his pounding heart, and his swimming head-

Ray cut through his own thoughts with the shake of his head and focussed back to the object of his inner torment "hey, did you know that this zoo has a real unicorn living in with the rhinos?"

Kai's body didn't move, but he opened his eyes to stare at Ray while the famous eyebrow arched to give the neko-jin a quizzical look.

Ray grinned, "oh you are alive. Good, when you lie there motionless like that I'm always worried you've died"

Kai's expression turned to a slight sneer before he closed his eyes once more, making it perfectly clear he had no interest in talking to Ray.

"Oh come on" Ray gave Kai a nudge "don't ignore me, you know it doesn't work"

"I have no intention in speaking to you more than necessary" Kai replied, "it's your fault I'm here"

Ray sighed, "it wouldn't hurt for you to try and enjoy yourself"

"And why would I do that?"

"Because lying here in the grass and sulking is nothing short of childish"

"I intend to be childish"

The neko-jin rolled his eyes "that's just-"

"Ray, I don't want to be here and therefore I will not even bother to look around this stupid place" Kai's voice cut through Ray like a knife "as far as I'm concerned it's your fault I'm here in the first place so I have nothing to say to you, now leave me alone"

Ray went quiet; he felt he'd just been punched in the face "fine" he stood up "let me know when you've matured a little" he turned away from the phoenix; there was no point in staying here to be snapped at and insulted by a person who clearly didn't want him around "and don't forget to wish Daichi a happy birthday"

Kai opened his eyes to watch Ray return to the path and walk away from him; Ray's figure was almost a silhouette against the bright sun that shone down on them, the heat was particular hot as if the weather was trying to repent for all the rain. Ray had left his jacket behind, it was beside Kai on the grass now; absently Kai sat up and picked it up.

The jacket had Ray's scent to it and Kai's expression softened as he gently placed the jacket back on the ground next to him. Laying back down he slipped his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

He'd return the jacket to Ray later.

* * *

"Daichi! Don't run too far ahead!" Hilary called ineffectuality after the blur of red running ahead of her "honestly, it's like looking after a small child" she grumbled.

"I haven't had chance to give him his birthday present yet" Kenny said as he peered through a tree to look at a small monkey perched in one of the top branches.

Some of the monkeys were allowed free as they were friendly and visitors of the zoo liked to feed them bits of fruit; all around Kenny and Hilary were children and families accompanied by zoo keepers all feeding the monkeys bananas and other pieces of fruit. The little creatures would take the fruit with great delicacy and a little noise of delight causing the children to giggle and coo over the scoffing animals.

"What did you buy him?" asked Hilary as she eyed a monkey who had taken to following them, the resemblance between the monkey and Daichi was uncanny and Hilary was beginning to worry about whether she should question Daichi's heritage.

"A maths book" Kenny replied opening his bag to show a neatly wrapped present that was clearly a heavy book.

"A maths book?" repeated Hilary.

"Yes"

"You bought Daichi a maths book?"

"Yes, is that a problem?"

Kenny looked so suddenly worried and unsure Hilary didn't have the heart to point out that Daichi would only use the book as toilet paper, instead she smiled "I'm sure he'll love it, chief"

"Oh good" Kenny sighed with relief "I'm no good at buying presents" he looked curiously at the package that Hilary had been carrying under her arm "is that Daichi's present you bought him?"

"Yes, I thought I'd get him something useful" Hilary answered, "it's a raincoat, hopefully he'll have the sense to wear it"

While Hilary and Kenny discussed the number of colds Daichi had in a year the birthday boy himself was someway in front of them feeding a monkey a slice of banana; he laughed as the creature took it carefully from his hand and scrunched it carefully, licking its fingers for every morsel.

"Hey, can I have some of that banana to feed the monkey too? I don't have any"

Daichi turned to the boy who stood next to him hands clasped tightly together as he looked hopefully at Daichi.

Daichi grinned "sure. Here you go" he handed over some of the banana Hilary had bought for him and the boy smiled his thanks. Daichi moved over so the boy next to him could feed the monkey also.

There was a small silence between them as they watched the monkey; then the strange boy turned to Daichi shyly "I don't mean to be rude, but are you Daichi Sumeragi?"

"That's me" Daichi grinned again, but it was wiped away by surprise as the stranger's eyes lit up with excitement and he turned to Daichi.

"I knew it! I knew it was you! You're from the Bladebreakers, right? I am such a big fan! I love the Bladebreakers! Can I have your autograph? Oh please say yes! I love you guys so much!"

"Uhh…sure, why not" Daichi managed rather bedazzled by the excited boy who was now jumping up and down with enthusiasm "have you got some paper and-"

The boy held out a slip of paper and a pen before Daichi had even got his sentence out; Daichi took the paper and clicked the pen still bewildered and stunned by the explosive excitement of the stranger. After all, it had been a while since the Bladebreakers had been a part of any tournament.

The stranger took the paper Daichi handed back with stuttering gratitude; his mouth kept opening and closing as he tried to get his words out right.

"No problem" Daichi looked at the stranger for a moment "say, it's my birthday today and the Bladebreakers have organised a big dinner for me. Would you like to come?"

"Have lunch with the Bladebreakers?" the kid gasped in amazement "I don't think I could…"

"Sure you can" Daichi clapped him on the shoulder "come on, Hilary and Kenny are just behind me"

He led the stranger up the path through the crowd where he could see Kenny and Hilary being chased by a rather big monkey.

"_THE_ _Hilary_ and _THE_ _Kenny_!" shrieked the stranger in more bubbling excitement.

"Yeah, don't get too thrilled about that" Daichi told him "they're really not that interesting"

* * *

And there we go! I get the feeling Kai and Ray are going to fight a lot before either of them admit any kind of feelings for the other. No Tala and Bryan in this chapter, but don't worry they'll be in the next where events are going to become complicated for Kai, espically when his charge sees the way the phoenix and Ray act around each other...

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review.

Thanks for reading!

Kiki


	5. A Cat Amongst The Pigeons

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Review Replies

Suzanne: Thanks so much for your review! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter ( I enjoyed writing a lot more than I enjoyed writing this one), I am certainly going to keep up the banter between Kai and Ray, I just love writing that kinda stuff. Thanks again for your lovely review! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Brette: Thank you very much for your review! Speechless, huh? Well I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! I really hope you like this one!! Thank you once again!

* * *

Oh boy, have I been having problems with writer's block or what! Seriously, recently I haven't been able to write more than three lines without getting insanely bored! So, if this chapter jumps about or doesn't seem to flow quite as well as the others then I'm sorry. I really did try very hard to sit down and just write out this chapter, as I had the ideas, but the words just wouldn't come and I think I've started and re-started this damn thing at least FOUR times!

In the end it took me the best part of three weeks to finish! Of course it probably doesn't help that I am CRAZY about Bleach right now, trying to write a Beyblade fanfic whilst watching Bleach probably wasn't the best idea I've ever had but then again I'm not that well known for my bright ideas, haha!

So I don't feel this is my best chapter, on the other hand I do LOVE the chapter title, it just fits so well!

But enough of me banging on, lets get this dammed chapter updated and over with.

WARNGINS: Flow of chapter not quite right (you can thank Writer's Block for that. Bad language (most likely).

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade, nor any of its characters.

Enjoy!

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**Breathless**

**Chapter Five: Cat Amongst The Pigeons**

The sun was hot, scorching the earth and the people down below; as lunchtime drew on the zoo filled with families and groups all with children screaming and laughing with delight at the various animals that caught their attention. Tala looked around with ill-concealed contempt at the parents and children enjoying themselves; clearly they did not know what it was like to be locked away.

Although, even Tala had to admit the enclosures were nothing like the cramped dog cages he'd spent his childhood in; none of the animals seemed to be discontented, abused or -

The wolf shook the thoughts from his head; he didn't care about animals, he didn't even like them. The dogs kept at the Abbey (kept to sway any child interested on escape) had been savage and wild: it had put Tala off animals for life.

Pushing through the heaving crowds Tala kept on the path until he'd reached the grassland near the exit, he scanned the area with his sharp eyes; here was calmer and emptier than other parts of the zoo, there were less animals to see around these parts and most children were keen on keeping their parents away from the exit for as long as possible. There were however still a few persistent occupiers that got in Tala's way; the bored teenaged girl that eyed his broad frame and tight ass was most annoying and the redhead was on the verge of snarling at her when he spotted what he was looking for.

Kai was laying back, his eyes were closed and with his hands behind his head he looked almost peaceful: Tala was going to change that. The wolf sat down pulling at his sleeveless top that clung to his torso under the burning sun; slipping his sunglasses over his eyes he waited silently for Kai to acknowledge his presence.

"What are you doing here?" the phoenix hadn't opened his eyes, but he didn't need to; Tala had an atmosphere about him that could not be mistaken for anyone else.

"Taking in the sights, learning all about the _wonderful_ animals and generally enjoying myself"

Kai ignored this comment "where's Bryan?"

"Watching Ray"

Now Kai's eyes did opened "and why is Bryan watching Ray?" he asked sharply.

"Because, unlike the rest of your pathetic team, Raymond has a brain" Tala replied coolly "now, once he starts using that brain it won't take him long to realise that something strange is happening around you" here the redhead glanced briefly at the phoenix "I presume he's already seen the knife cut you got, he may even have seen your other injuries" Tala gestured the neatly plastered bandage just visible under the collar of Kai's shirt "it won't take him long to piece the rest together and I want to know when that happens"

Kai took all this in silently; the only indication of his reaction was the slight tightening of his jaw "I do not intend Ray to discover anything about us, or _him_"

"Whether you intend it or not I guarantee it's going to happen" Tala's eyes rested on Kai's face as he intently studied every reaction the phoenix had, he was going to enjoy dropping _this_ bombshell. He watched as Kai's eyes sharpened once more.

"What do you mean?" the phoenix's voice was careful and light as he prepared himself for the answer.

"What I mean is Ray is a few moments from meeting _him_ because _he_ and the Bladebreakers plan to celebrate Daichi's birthday lunch together"

Kai's reaction was so fast Tala barely had time to register it; all he knew was a rush of air as the phoenix flattened the wolf beneath him his hand clenching Tala's throat "you wouldn't be trying to frighten me, would you, Tala?" Kai's voice was soft, each syllable carefully pronounced.

"Get off!" snapped Tala, he twisted his leg around Kai's and flipped the phoenix off; sitting up he hitched up his tracksuit bottoms and pulled his top which had twisted round "get a hold of yourself! We're in a public place for crying out loud. God knows what that girl thinks"

"She won't have much doubt when you're lying on the ground with a broken neck" Kai replied who now stood taking Ray's jacket from the ground.

"Go ahead and try" sneered the wolf as he too stood brushing the grass from his trousers "now, before you go storming off in a fiery temper, allow me to explain the situation"

"What's there to explain?" Kai said with a hiss "I presume you set all up for your own ends"

"I did not need to do anything" Tala replied with a huff as he cursed the grass stains now marring his top "did you really think a few white lies was going to deter him from finding out where you kept disappearing off to? He wants to know them, Kai. He doesn't understand why you prefer their company to his"

"And no doubt you helped him along with his mission"

"As I said before, I did not need to do anything"

"You could have stopped him from coming here, you knew we were coming to the zoo"

Tala looked up as his eyes flashed dangerously "yes, I could have stopped him" he whispered quietly "but I didn't, and I have no intention of stopping him now"

Kai's eyes narrowed "why are you doing this?"

"Because you need to realise what a fool you've been for bringing him here in the first place" Tala readjusted his sunglasses "I told you coming here was a bad idea, but you didn't listen. Now you're going to pay for your mistake"

Kai glared at the wolf though he said nothing as he turned to walk away.

"If you're planning to intercept him before he meets the Bladebreakers then you're too late" Tala's words stopped Kai mid-step "he's already making friends with them, Kai. You know, if you turn up now, you'll only make things worse"

* * *

Ray stood by the tiger enclosure watching the sleek creature lazily yawn revealing its huge white fangs; sighing the neko-jin sat down on an empty bench as around him children pointed excitedly at the tiger with little gasps of awe. Ray watched them with the hint of a smile; back in his mountain village all children were gathered in a group by the elders so they could be taught and looked after while their parents went to work in the fields.

He missed the White Tiger mountains he realised; missed the traditions, the celebrations and festivals, and most of all his team. No doubt they would be missing him; in Mariah's last letter she'd asked him when he was returning home. It had been a while since Ray had done any beyblading and now he had no reason to stay out in the modern world.

But something kept him here.

He didn't know what it was, but he loved the fast pace of this world, the noise of the cars rushing by; the Bladebreakers were also another reason for his hesitation in leaving, once Ray returned to his village it would be unlikely he could persuade his elders to let him visit the Bladebreakers again. The mountains were his home and where he was needed, it was there they wanted him to be.

"Ray!" Tyson appeared at his side with a huge grin and a burger in his hand "you have GOT to try one of these! Seriously, they are to die for!"

Ray chuckled as the dragon took an enormous bite and chewed noisily "I'll take your word for it"

Bits of burger sprayed from Tyson's mouth as he managed "suit yourself" he swallowed "are you ready to go? Kenny and the others are, and we have a guest"

"A guest?" repeated Ray "please don't tell me Daichi's bringing a monkey home"

"No-no! Like grandpa would ever let him do that…" Tyson hesitated as he realised that his grandfather probably would allow a wild monkey in to the house "…anyway, it's this kid Daichi started talking to. Big Bladebreaker fan apparently"

"Oh lord," muttered Ray "that's all we need, someone to make your head bigger"

"Hey, that's unkind!"

The neko-jin smiled "just teasing" he stood up as Max called out to them and hurried over.

"Are you two coming?" Max asked, "Hilary's getting impatient"

"When doesn't Hilary get impatient?" Tyson asked swallowing a mouthful.

"We're coming now" Ray replied to the turtle as he stood; he turned round to grab his jacket from the bench behind him and found it wasn't there "damn" Ray frowned for a moment, then realised he must have left his jacket behind when he'd stormed off from Kai "bugger"

"Problem?" Max enquired.

"I just left my jacket with Kai" the neko-jin sighed, "I'll have to go get it"

"No need, I just saw Kai a minute ago" Max said before Ray could turn up the path "he had a jacket in his hand"

"That must be mine" Ray figured raising his eyebrows "I didn't think Kai could be so considerate"

"Man, you learn something new about Kai everyday" Tyson grinned "is he coming back with us?"

"He said he'd rather eat his own scrotum with a side dish of chips than have lunch with us" Max replied with an amused grin.

Tyson snorted "charming, as usual" he commented as he licked his fingers clean having finished his burger.

"Speaking of lunch, have you seen this guest yet?" Ray asked as they set off together up the path through the crowd of families some of which recognised the Bladebreakers and cried out in delight, Tyson waved at them grandly and even managed to stop in order to supply autographs.

"Yup" Max grinned "I warn you now, he's a handful"

"Oh come on, he can't be that bad" Ray glanced behind him just in time to see Tyson signing the t-shirt of a pretty buxom girl whose skirt barely reached passed her thighs, the tiger rolled his eyes.

"He is. I made the mistake of shaking his hand" Max joked, "I still can't feel my fingers. I don't know where Daichi found him, but he's sure picked a mad one this time"

"Should suit this team down to the ground" Ray mused as he remembered he hadn't bought Daichi a present yet; pulling out his wallet he searched through the compartments and pulled out what little cash he had, stashing it in his pocket along with his now empty wallet he made a note to make a stop at the shops on the way out of the zoo-

"OH MY GOD, IT'S THAT RAY KON?"

The neko-jin barely had time to register what was happening before a boy of indecipherable age rushed up to him and grabbed his hand "hi, you must be Daichi's new friend"

"Oh boy oh boy, I can't believe it's you! I am actually shaking the right hand of Ray Kon!" the boy squealed.

Ray passed a sideways look at Max who was scarcely managing to maintain a straight face, Ray's golden eyes looked back at the boy; he was thin and pale, but his shoulders were broad and his eyes alive with excitement. To put an age on him was hard, but Ray figured he was older than he looked; his clothes were baggy but fitting and Ray spotted a well known brand name splashed across the boy's t-shirt. Ray smiled as the boy finally let go of his hand "what's your name?"

"My name?" the boy repeated, he then grinned ruefully "most people just call me Moron"

* * *

Bryan lounged on his bench; a fag was delicately balanced between his lips and headphones plugged his ears as he slipped on his sunglasses and eyed the group who were set up outside the Granger household all talking loudly and laughing. Bored, he skipped the to the next song on his I-pod and took another drag; he was hidden away under a shadowy group of trees, but none of the Bladebreakers had even looked in his direction over the passed hour as they celebrated Daichi's birthday.

The only warning of Tala the falcon got was a tall shadow which briefly fell over him as the wolf shoved Bryan's boots from the bench and sat down; sighing Bryan pulled out an earplug and sat upright leaning his elbows on his knees as he took out the half finished smoke and held it out to Tala. The wolf ignored the offered fag and instead picked up the small bottle at Bryan's feet, he took an experimental sniff before taking a swig and placing the bottle back down once more "well?"

"I'm bored"

"That's not what I asked"

"Nothing has happened"

"Nothing?"

"He's just acting like some over obsessed childish fan"

Tala's brow furrowed "he's done nothing else?"

The falcon shook his head "nothing"

"No sign of anger? Jealousy? Resentment toward the Bladebreakers?"

"That's what I said"

Tala's azure eyes landed on their topic of discussion "what's he up to?" he murmured "I was sure he was going to let slip something, has he spoken about Kai at all?"

Bryan shook his head, took one last drag and dropped the smoking fag to crush it with his boot "nobody's said anything about Kai"

"What about Ray?"

"Nothing there either" the falcon replied "he got pissed at Kai earlier, but other than that he doesn't seem to be acting strange or suspect anything"

"I didn't expect anymore" Tala responded "he'll have seen Kai's injuries but he won't know what to make of them or where Kai got them from"

"You think seeing the kid will give him any clue?"

"No, as long as the kid isn't linked to Kai in any way Ray shouldn't suspect a thing" Tala's eyes moved from one Bladebreaker to another "but stay with them until the kid leaves, anything at all could leave a clue and Ray isn't stupid"

"Hmm, so you keep saying" snorted Bryan who was under the opinion that all Bladebreakers were stupid, in fact he thought one had to be stupid to become a member of the Bladebreakers. He lit up again as Tala stood to leave.

"When the kid leaves I want you to get him" the wolf ordered "I may want Kai to learn a lesson but I don't want the Bladebreakers sticking their noses in to our business"

Bryan shrugged in answer "whatever"

* * *

"So do you live in Japan or are you on holiday?" Hilary asked as Daichi helped himself to a third helping from her own plate.

The boy looked up from his plate, chewed and swallowed to empty his mouth before he replied "oh I'm just staying in Tokyo for a while, I don't know how long though, it depends on my guardians"

"Oh, you don't have parents?" Tyson chomped on his food whilst reaching for the ketchup.

"No, they died years ago when I was little" the boy replied with a sad face that made Hilary glare at Tyson for bringing up such a touchy topic.

"Aww, that's too bad" Tyson said in a sympathetic tone "my mum died when I was little too"

"She did?" the boy looked at him earnestly "ohh, I'm sorry, I didn't know"

"It's not your fault, kid" Tyson laughed, "I'm just letting you know that there are people out there who know how you feel"

The boy smiled and there was a momentary silence filled only by chewing before Ray asked "who looks after you now?"

"Just some people who took me under their wing" the boy smiled "they're ok, but they're very strict. They don't let me out that much"

"So do they know you're here?" Hilary asked with slight alarm at the thought that some poor guardian would be frantic with worry.

"Oh they let me out for the day, I'm allowed to go to places like the zoo every so often"

"But they don't actually know where you are?" Hilary persisted.

The boy hesitated but Tyson overrode him "don't worry about it, Hils, it's not like we're mad violent psychopaths, we'll take him home when we're done"

"Tyson, if his guardians are unaware of his location then we could get in to trouble" the brunette reminded him.

"Oh they won't be angry, I promise!" the boy assured her quickly "just as long as I'm not in any trouble they're fine"

"Rather obliging coming from people you claim are strict" Kenny commented coolly as he finished his plate.

Tyson noticed the less than kindly tone of Kenny's voice and gave him a soft glare "Kenny, why don't you get dessert?" he suggested in a calm voice.

"Our guest has not finished his meal yet, Tyson" Kenny replied dryly "it is bad manners to start on the pudding before he has finished"

"Oh I don't mind!" the boy said quickly "I don't want you guys waiting for me!"

"See? Go and get the dessert, Kenny" Tyson repeated when Kenny looked likely to respond errantly "grandpa cooked us a large birthday for Daichi before he went out, it should be finished heating in the oven by now"

"Yeah, I'll help you" Ray added pulling the small genius out of his seat totally oblivious to Kenny's protests; the neko-jin smiled at the boy "you eat up, maybe Max and Tyson can show you some beyblade tricks while you wait for the cake"

The boy's face lit up with delight as Tyson and Max jumped up as one eager to show their blading skills; Hilary noticed for the first time that Daichi had been steadily eating from her plate. Tyson grabbed the boy by his arm.

"Come on, kid! We've got a beydish round back"

"But I haven't finished eating" the boy protested as the dragged him from a half finished steak.

"You can finish that later" Max exclaimed as he pulled out Draciel "besides, you didn't even put mustard on your steak, it tastes so much better with mustard!"

"You put _mustard_ on your steak?!"

"Max puts mustard on everything" Tyson sighed as they reached the beydish.

"On steak?!"

"On everything"

The boy laughed with excitement as Max got ready to launch his blade, "are the others joining us?"

"Sure, once Hilary's stopped attacking Daichi, and Ray and Kenny have got the cake"

"I hope I didn't make Kenny mad"

"Oh of course not" Tyson wafted his hand airily "he's just uptight when it comes to strangers, he's like Kai in that way"

"Mm" Max agreed, "except Kai usually has a clearer way of showing his distaste"

While the three were bonding outside and Hilary was screaming at Daichi who was scoffing down the rest of her food Ray was dragging a squirming Kenny in to the kitchen; the pleasant odours of a baking cake drifted around the kitchen and the timer on the cooker indicated the cake was nearly ready to be taken from the heat. Ray grabbed the younger boy's collar and promptly lifted the genius off his feet to place Kenny on a chair.

"Alright, what's up?"

Kenny looked up at him innocently "nothing, everything is fine, Raymond"

"You're lying, and call me Ray" the neko-jin answered back, he folded his arms "it's not like you to be so condescending to visitors, so what's up?"

Kenny sighed and readjusted his glasses balancing them precariously on the top of his head where they would serve no purpose for anything "I don't know, I just…I just don't like him"

"Oh?" Ray raised his eyebrows "why? The guy seems ok to me, if a little exuberant"

"…He smiles too much" Kenny said scowling darkly as Ray looked down on him with air of a parent dealing with a naughty small child.

"He smiles too much?" Ray echoed, "a crime if never I knew it"

"There's no need to be like that" Kenny huffed "you know what I mean"

"No, I don't"

Kenny sighed again and pondered on how he could explain his feelings "it's like every smile is brighter than the last and they're all fake"

"Well, of course he's smiling brightly" Ray reasoned "he's said time and time again that he's our number one fan, you're no better when you're at one of Ming-Ming's concerts"

"But all his smiles are fake!" Kenny insisted, "there's something not right about him!"

"Such as?" asked the neko-jin.

"He said he was fifteen"

"Yes, I know. So what's the problem with that?" Ray titled his head as he continued to look down at the young computer whiz.

"Well…how old do you think he is?"

"Mentally or physically?"

Kenny looked up not understanding Ray's response "what do you mean?"

"Well, physically I believe he is fifteen" Ray explained as he leant back against the table "he's lost all his puppy fat, he's too tall to be any younger and he's strongly built like a fifteen year old would be"

"But mentally?"

"Mentally, had he not told me his age, I would have placed him younger" Ray shrugged "but, Kenny, if you don't like him because of his mental state then that's a pretty poor excuse not to like someone"

"But that's not it at all!" Kenny said hurriedly "no, there's something else, something hidden in his face"

"Like what?"

"I don't know! … It's hard to explain, there's something about him that scares me"

"So his hairstyle's a little to be desired"

"I'm being serious! Something in the way he looks at us, it's like he's studying us and…" Kenny trailed off when he realised he wasn't wiping the blank expression from Ray's face; maybe it wasn't worth this.

"And?" Ray prompted.

"I don't know" Kenny's shoulders sagged.

"Maybe he's said something to you?"

"No, nothing. He was extremely interested in what I did for the team"

Ray's lips failed to hide his amusement "well that sucks, the first person _ever_ to take an interest in what you do for the team and you don't like them"

"There's no need to take that tone!" Kenny sulked.

"You have to admit there's a certain irony though"

"I admit nothing"

Ray chuckled softly and looked through the window of the cooker to check on the birthday cake; he pushed the raven strands from his face "you're being very Kai about this"

"I do not take that as a compliment"

"It wasn't supposed to be"

Kenny looked up "you don't believe me, do you?"

"Well, save for the fact you think he's childish – which I may point out is not necessarily his fault – you haven't given me a reasonable reason to agree with you"

"I know!" Kenny tightened his hands in to fists in frustration "oh I wish I could describe what I feel! I don't like him, Ray! There's something not honest about him! I mean, we don't even know what to call him!"

"We can't exactly call him Moron" the tiger pointed out "and he hasn't given us another name"

"Exactly! Why? Why hasn't he given us a real name?! Don't you think that's odd?"

"Well, maybe, but-"

"Kai would think it was odd" Kenny continued over Ray "he would be suspicious"

"Kai thinks everyone is odd" Ray rolled his eyes "Kai doesn't even trust the postman"

"He would agree with me" Kenny maintained adamantly "he would tell you I was right"

"You forget Kai never agrees with anyone on principle" the neko-jin replied as he remembered Kai still had his jacket.

"And that's another thing!" Kenny exclaimed loudly as something else strange occurred to him.

"What?"

"Kai!"

Ray thought about this "red eyes, stony face, an arrogant bastard who sucks all kindness out of you like a vampire hooked on blood!" Ray gritted his teeth "yes, I know who Kai is alright!"

Kenny paused "have you and Kai had a fight?" he asked.

"No, not really, I just realised today that I really don't like him because he's everything in this world that I despise" Ray smiled brightly before returning back to their previous subject "but what's Kai got to do with the kid?"

"The kid's a major fan of the Bladebreakers!" Kenny reminded him.

"So?"

"So, he hasn't mentioned Kai _once_! Not once! He's a fan of the Bladebreakers and he doesn't even think about the Captain of the Bladebreakers? Don't you think that a little strange?"

Ray fell silent for a moment; he folded his arms as he considered this "yeah, so that's a little odd, I guess…but not everyone has to be obsessed with Kai, not everyone has to like Kai's mysteriousness and condescending ways" an aggravated gleam came in to Ray's eyes "I happen to HATE that!" his fangs bared "the way he looks down on you just for breathing in the same air as him makes me want to kick him in the face!"

Kenny blinked "are you sure you and Kai haven't had a fight? because I'm getting some seriously bad vibes from you"

"No, I'm fine" Ray released a long breath "I just don't like it when Kai has a go at me just because I make him go to a place he doesn't want to go…anyway, we're getting off the point again"

"You have to admit I've made some good points" Kenny said, "there's definitely something odd about that kid"

"Well so we don't know his name, yeah, it's odd" Ray admitted "but-"

"And he hasn't mentioned Kai, the _Captain_ of the Bladebreakers!"

"That too. It doesn't mean there's any to be worried about, other than those two oddities he's been just normal"

"I still don't like him"

"I think you're overreacting a little, you know" the neko-jin told him "it's not like you have to have a profound relationship with him, after lunch he's returning to wherever he came from"

"I hope I never have to see him again" Kenny stated flatly.

* * *

And there we go. Ironically, though this has been the hardest chapter to write, it is actually the longest: go figure that one out!

No Kai Ray action, though Ray did have a couple of digs at the phoenix.

I was going to make Ray be the one who didn't like the kid, but then I figured he could quite easily be duped by a smile so instead it was Kenny I chose, I thought that his incredible mind could probably pick up some falsehoods about the kid.

So, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Please leave a review!

Thanks for reading!

Kiki


	6. Truth Will Out

**Review Replies  
**Suzanne: Thanks so much for your review! I'm glad you liked the previous chapter, and I hope you like this one. We moved forward in this chapter, there's a little more action! Enjoy!

* * *

Hey guys!

So, I'm back again! With the 6th chapter.

I have to say I'm really enjoying writing this story; usually it takes me a good ten chapters to actually get in to a story, but this I liked it from the start and so writing these first ten chapters have been a joy. I also don't have to worry about rewriting huge junks of it, I can just sit back and let the drama unfold!

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade, nor any of its characters.

WARNINGS: Bad language. Violence.

By The Way, no offence to Margaret Thatcher. It is shameful of me to use her as the butt of my jokes, she's probably a very nice lady.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Breathless**

**Chapter Six: Truth Will Out**

"Come on, Ray, you have to fancy someone" Tyson grinned, "you're human after all"

"Technically I'm a neko-jin" Ray replied somewhat testily, Tyson had been pushing this same subject for a good ten minutes "we neko-jins are not so enthralled and obsessed with getting our pants invaded, unlike you mere humans"

"Ouch" Max grinned as this comment faltered Tyson somewhat: the dragon had always maintained that the complete lack of his sex life didn't bother him.

However, if Ray had hoped that this would stall Tyson from the subject then he was sadly mistaken; for seconds later, Tyson brushed aside Ray's brusque comment with a smile and the wave of his hand.

"I know you have to hold a torch for someone, Raymond, there's no need to hide it" he winked "we all have our dirty little secrets"

On hearing this Ray felt like saying something else snide; but he held his tongue, it was obvious he was going to have to think of _someone_. It was the only way Tyson would leave him alone; if he came up with some name then Tyson would back off…in theory.

"Come on, tell me" sensing Ray was near breaking point Tyson's voice had adopted an encouraging lilt "it can't be that bad, you don't have to feel ashamed"

Tyson wasn't going to let up, Ray realised, so he said the first female name that came in to his head "fine! … Ok! It's…Margaret Thatcher"

There was a silence.

"Well shit, Ray, no wonder you didn't want to tell us" Tyson gasped "that's obscene!"

"It's more than a little obscene, it's disturbing" Kenny agreed looking at Ray his mouth the perfect circle.

Ray could see that the hole he'd been digging himself in to had just fallen through the bottom "it's not that bad" he muttered not quite able to look Hilary in the eyes.

"_Wrinkles_, dude, what about the wrinkles?" Max bemoaned.

"I like…mature women" Ray cleared his throat and made a mental note to think through his lies before he decided to use them, he suddenly had a very bad feeling that this was going to maim his life forever "there are a lot of young guys out there that…that have…feelings…for older women"

"And the fact that the love of your life is a good sixty-seven years older than yourself isn't an issue?" enquired Hilary raising both her eyebrows.

Ray found himself unable to answer than particular question; instead he made a hurried look of checking out the time before backing his way out the kitchen "it's getting on for seven" he rambled as Daichi's eyes, which had expanded rapidly through the course of the conversation, followed his every step "I'm gonna take a jog to the beach and back, but I'd better get changed first and…" on reaching the door he gave his fellow bladers a quick grin before sliding the door shut in their faces. Turning round he leant back and took a moment of self contemplation.

Margaret Thatcher.

Had he really said that?

Out of all the women in all the world, all the beautiful young sexy women he could have chosen, he had settled on _Margaret Thatcher_.

Sighing and deciding that lying really wasn't his forte, Ray pushed the hair from his eyes and walked along the corridors to the bedrooms; he could hear Tyson and the others guffawing from the kitchen and scowled. They weren't going let him forget this in a hurry.

Reaching his bedroom door he pulled it open and walked in; wandering to the window he looked out at the golden evening sky. It had been a nice day; the sun had shone brightly down on Daichi's birthday which had, compared to previous birthdays, gone amazingly well. There had been no accidents, no released animals, and no fights. Nothing. In fact, the day had been so ordinary and without incident Ray wasn't quite sure what to do with himself.

The kid had left part way through the afternoon; he had walked off by himself assuring the Bladebreakers that he knew where he was and it was easy to get home, Tyson had offered to order a taxi but the boy hadn't wanted to be such a bother. Kai hadn't appeared at all since the morning when Ray had stalked off from him; Ray was now sure he'd just over reacted when Kai had given him the cold shoulder. It wasn't like Kai hadn't brushed him off a hundred other times before. Kai often disappeared for hours on end, especially when someone's birthday was involved.

He was sure the phoenix would appear from somewhere and when he did Ray would apologise; but for now, the evening was bright and warm. The perfect opportunity to go for a quiet jog to the beach. Loosening the buttons of his top Ray turned from the window to change in to a t-shirt and tracksuit bottoms- he jolted with surprise.

"Kai! When did you get there?"

The phoenix was lying back on Ray's bed, his head resting in his hands and his eyes closed; he now opened his eyes, however, and gave Ray the once over before shutting them again "I've been here all afternoon"

Ray blinked "really? But why didn't you come down for lunch? You missed Daichi's birthday guest"

"My heart bleeds"

The neko-jin rolled his eyes and went over to the chest of drawers, pulling out the bottom one to retrieve his tracksuits; he was in the process of pulling a black t-shirt out from the tangled mess of another drawer when Kai threw something at him. It flopped over Ray's head and momentarily plunged the neko-jin in to darkness; he gave an _oof_ of surprise.

"You forgot your jacket" the phoenix said in explanation.

"Uh, thanks for keeping it all this time" Ray replied with the flash of a smile as he tugged the jacket from off his head and dumped it on a chair. Slipping out of his current top he pulled on the t-shirt before taking another look at Kai. It wasn't that Ray was shy; he just didn't like getting changed in front of other people. He was about to head for the bathroom when he noticed that the Russian's delicate dark eyebrows were dipped in a frown.

Years of experience had taught the Bladebreakers that the most expressive part of Kai's face were his eyebrows; they could achieve things Ray's eyebrows could only dream of and they always eluded to his moods. At this moment they were tilted down, too far down for Ray's liking; he edged closer to the bed "are you…alright?"

Kai opened his eyes to find the neko-jin looking down on him "is there a reason I shouldn't be?" he answered in his typical illusive way.

"Well…I don't know" Ray mumbled, becoming unsure of himself as he always did when Kai's stare pinned to the nearest wall "you just look…I don't know…serious"

The left eyebrow slowly rose and disappeared up in to the hairline of the phoenix's face; this resulted in giving Kai a questioning expression which caused Ray to rethink over his latest words.

"Alright, so you always look serious" the tiger admitted, "what I actually meant was, you look more serious than normal"

For a moment Kai didn't answer; he continued to look at Ray whose face flushed under the pressure of Kai's continuous staring. The phoenix had no intention of confiding to Ray the true reason for his dark mood, however, should he not give a reasonable excuse for his expression then Ray's unendurable curiosity would no doubt awaken. The only way to force the tiger to back off would be to exasperate him; it was a trick Kai had used many times over the course of the three years he'd known Ray. He'd used it on all the Bladebreakers when they were being too pushy. But with Ray, it was always different; the damn tiger always managed throw Kai's trick back in his face.

"I just don't appreciate being forced in to attending something I don't wish to attend" the phoenix finally replied.

He watched as the light in Ray's eyes flashed; abruptly the neko-jin straightened and shook out the tracksuits he planned to wear.

"Don't tell me you're still brooding over that. For goodness sake, Kai, get over yourself" Ray slipped in to his tracksuits and loosened his hair to retightened it "I only asked you to show a little decency and attend a birthday, it wasn't as if I was asking you to jump off a cliff"

"I don't like zoos" Kai said emotionlessly "there are too many cages"

Ray sighed exasperatedly "well, I understand that, but-"

"No, you don't" the phoenix cut him off "you did not spend your childhood in a cage"

Ray threw his tied hair over his shoulder and turn to the phoenix coolly "actually, I do know what it's like to spend my childhood in a cage" he replied with as much detachment as he could muster "when I was small and disobedient my father would lock me in a small room down in the cellar. Now, my father was a strict man and I was a badly behaved kid so I spent a lot of time in that small room" he walked over to the door refusing to give the phoenix another look "so yeah, I know what it's like to be shut in a cage…only I don't use it as an excuse every time I'm forced to go somewhere I don't like"

He left Kai, shutting the door behind him without another word; Kai watched the closed door for a moment, listening to Ray's retreating footsteps until they'd disappeared. He turned his face back to the ceiling with a sigh.

"He always knows how to throw it back in my face"

* * *

Ray pounded along the street under the setting sun, his chest was aching and his legs were stiff; he came to a skidding halt by the road crossing and waited for the red traffic light to stop the cars. He stood for a moment, getting his breath back and looking up at the crimson sky above him; he didn't even know why he'd told Kai about his father, he guessed Kai had just hit a nerve. He contemplated it for another few beating seconds as the cars slowed to a stop leaving the road safe for pedestrians.

He wondered if Kai would think about what Ray had told him, would it bother the phoenix or would he merely brush it aside and forget about-

Ray pushed these thoughts away as he jogged over the road and overtook an old couple out for an evening stroll, there was no point in pondering over it; he didn't even care what Kai thought. So Kai had been through a difficult childhood, Ray had cared about the story when he'd first heard about it; but three years on, the drama was wearing thin.

He turned in to a second street and slowed his pace somewhat; he was nearing the beach now, even from here he could hear the sea and the small waves slapping the sand in a slow rhythm. The smell of salt caught in his throat and he stood at the edge of the pathway looking out over the golden beach that came in to view.

The beach was quiet, the sun's hot light had dimmed and, as the cool breeze had settled in, the surfers and holiday makers had drifted away to enjoy a nice night on the town. Still, there were the stubborn few who refused to leave until the last sunbeam had left the soft grainy sand.

Feeling an urge to prolong his stay outside, he wasn't looking forward to the taunting and teasing waiting for him back at Tyson's, Ray quickly skipped down the steps to the sand planning to jog along the sea for a little until the dark forced him to return to an evening of jibes and jokes.

The sand was sodden where the waves lapped and the neko-jin pulled off his trainers to allow the cool water to swap his feet; he walked for a moment, waiting for his thumping heart to return to its normal beat. The air was warm despite the breeze and the smell of the sea relaxed him; he found himself almost smiling as the quiet and the solitude gave his head a sense of freedom he hadn't had in quite some time-

"But, Tala, I wanna see Kai NOWWW!"

"He's coming! Now, for fuck's sake, shut up!"

Those voices. Ray knew them both, or he recognised them both.

He whipped round, the arch in the sand showing the speed at which he'd turned.

"But wheeeere _is_ heeee?" the voice whined again.

Tala, who had been putting up with this puny pathetic whine for more than an hour, finally cracked "if you don't fucking shut up in the next second I'm going to break your jaw!"

"Ohhh, don't be mean!" the boy pouted in to Tala's fierce ice blue glare before breaking off in to a dramatic cough as a cloud of smoke billowed in his face, crossly he turned on the falcon and snapped, "you know, all that smoke you keep puffing in my face could give me secondary cancer!"

Bryan swallowed more smoking before leering "I take great pleasure in the possibility that I could kill you" he swallowed in another mouthful before releasing it in to the face of the glaring boy.

"Oh, you two are so mean to me!" he fumed turning away from them with a huff and folding his arms "honestly, the Bladebreakers are much nicer! I don't see why Kai won't let me stay with them!"

"Because you're a fucking lunatic" Tala snorted "mind, the Bladebreakers are crazy too, so you should all suit each other perfectly"

"They were much kinder than you!" the kid retorted, "they gave me all the food I liked, and they talked to me!"

"Bully for them" said the wolf turning away from the beach to look up at the road that ran along the sand.

On finding that Tala was no longer paying him any heed, the boy turned to Bryan to continue his complaining; Bryan completely blocked out the kid and instead walked to Tala's side muttering a few Russian words as he did so. These words were obviously unpleasant as the boy fumed yet more and shook his fist at the two older with vows of Kai's wrath when he appeared.

Ray couldn't move. He stood, frozen by the sea, staring at the trio; at first he'd almost managed to kid himself that the boy now wailing at the wolf was not the boy who had attended the birthday lunch the Bladebreakers had held for Daichi. But that was clearly him. He'd even said so himself. Ray couldn't believe it; his eyes repeatedly tried to comprehend the scene before him, but he couldn't quite get his head round it. The boy knew Tala and Bryan? Were they the guardians he'd referred to? And Kai? He'd mentioned Kai? Wailed about him. How was Kai involved in this? Was this the secret Kai was keeping? What about those injuries the phoenix had obtained recently? Surely, no. Surely it could not have been this boy who had inflicted the phoenix. Kai wouldn't let some kid treat him like that; he'd kill the boy before his skin had even been broken.

Questions zoomed round Ray's head so fast he'd barely finished one before another occurred to him. Who was this boy? Kenny had been right, Ray made a mental note never to brush off anything the genius ever said again. The neko-jin didn't know what to do; briefly he thought about confronting them, asking them. But neither Tala nor Bryan were known for their straight answers and Ray wasn't sure he wanted to talk to the boy again, not just yet. It was Kai he obviously needed to confront; Tala and Bryan could easily slip round Ray's questioning, but Kai wasn't so immune and nor was he as likely to escape Ray's scrutiny.

The tiger continued to watch the three with huge golden eyes; at least this explained Kai's stoic mood, the phoenix would not be pleased to discover his secret taking a birthday lunch with the Bladebreakers.

Why was Kai keeping this boy a secret? The boy seemed harmless. Sure, he'd been a little over exuberant, but there had been nothing to suggest he was dangerous-

Ray's thoughts were cut short for a second time as a wail echoed throughout the beach; people looked round as Tala's hand flew out to the boy's neck and he pushed down on him. The boy's knees buckled under the weight as Tala's hiss threatened him in to silence. The neko-jin gasped as Bryan snarled at a passing man who looked for a moment as if he was likely to interfere; the falcon turned to the wolf, muttering quietly around the loose fag balanced between his teeth. Tala's released its death grip of the boy's throat and he pushed the kid roughly away before wiping the spit from his own pale cheek.

The boy collapsed to the ground choking wildly and crying; but both wolf and falcon ignored him save for the looks of contempt they threw. The tiger flinched as they turned, but they turned away from him seemingly planning to walk along the beach to see if Kai had arrived. They left the boy in the sand evidently presuming he would follow them; the boy was still choking, tears welled huge in his eyes as his hand loosely held his neck where, already, dark marks were beginning to show.

No one seemed to want to help the boy; the man who had looked as if he wanted to stop had moved on now, not eager to face the two Russians whom were striding along the beach side by side. A few people gave the crying kid a second glance, but none offered to comfort him in his distress.

Ray took a step forward towards the sobbing slumped figure, part of him wanted to pull the boy up to a standing position and assure him; but something held him back, the idea had got in to his head that he needed to talk to Kai. He needed to talk to Kai. He needed to know the truth. He really should help the boy; again he took a step forwards, nearer to the cowering boy now sniffing and looking up after Bryan and Tala.

For another second Ray held his position of unknowing, then he moved away from the boy trying to move normally without attracting attention; he had to see Kai. It was clear that these three were awaiting the phoenix's presence, but there was still a small chance the phoenix was still lounging on Ray's bed. If Ray left now then he could still have a chance at getting to Kai before the phoenix left the house.

Quickly he reached the promenade and ascended to the road looking back over his shoulder one last time before dashing across the road through the cars that blared out at him angrily. He gave hurried apologetic gestures, none of which were received gratefully, and reached the other side before streaking his way down the streets, back to Tyson's.

But, already, he'd been seen.

* * *

The run home was less relaxed than the jog out had been, he'd run back bare footed and they'd been scorched against the tarmac; by the time Ray reached Tyson's front door he was panting hard and he head to lean against the wall before he could stand straight. Three years of Kai's vigorous training had done the neko-jin wonders, but even he couldn't manage a charge back to the house without feeling at least a few effects.

However, his heartbeat slowed and, though he still puffed, he managed to straighten and open the door in to the kitchen – straight in to Tyson and the others.

In his haste to return, he'd forgotten about the completely ridiculous conversation he'd last had with them; there were woos and hoots as he entered the room, all of which he returned with a scowl.

"Hey up, Ray, how was the jog?" Tyson grinned, "meet any elderly joggers?"

"No" the neko-jin replied too preoccupied with other things to think up a smooth response "is Kai home?"

"Nah, he just left" Max answered as he pulled in to his jacket, for the first time the tiger noticed the others were also adorned in coats and jackets.

"Hey, maybe he likes old hags too!" hooted Daichi guffawing loudly.

"Daichi, don't be rude!" Hilary scolded, cuffing him about the head.

"Yeah, don't let Kai hear you saying stuff like that" Tyson chuckled "he'd have your head on a platter before you could say old woman"

"Oh, stop banging on about old people!" Hilary now smacked Tyson round the ears "you're grossing me out!"

"It's Ray who fancies them!" Tyson protested ducking to avoid a second swipe.

"Whatever Ray does or doesn't like is none of your business!" the girl replied bossily, she then pulled a face "even if his tastes are somewhat sickening"

"I am right here, you know" Ray narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, ignore them, Ray" Kenny patted his arm, being too short to reach the tiger's shoulder "you know what they're like, bunch of pathetic childish irresponsible infantile idiots the lot of them!"

"Hey, are we going?" Daichi was tugging at Tyson's sleeve "we'll miss the start of the movie"

"Yeah, we're going" Tyson ruffled Daichi's red hair "don't sweat it, dude"

"You're going to the cinema?" Ray asked.

"Yup, and you're coming too…right after you've done the washing up" Tyson pointed to the mountainous toppling pile of dirty plates, pans, cutlery and glasses that was balanced precariously beside the sink "too bad the dishwasher's broken"

Ray frowned "it's my turn to do the chores?"

"It sure is!"

Both the dragon and the tiger eyed the wobbling heap.

Tyson clapped the neko-jin on the shoulder with a grin "good luck, man. If you're not with us by the movie starts, we'll leave you for dead…or, we'll assume you're _entertaining_ one of your adoring elders"

Ray gave him a glare but it was directed at the back of Tyson's head as he and Daichi left the house, followed by Hilary and Kenny; Max paused with a smirk at the dubious neko-jin who had now turned his attention back to the heap of washing.

"Forget Tyson, you know he's an idiot"

"That fact has been proven to me many times" Ray smiled back, with only a hint of vindictiveness.

Max sniggered "hey, join us after you've finished here, yeah?"

"Sure, I'll see you later"

"Good. Oh, by the way, grandpa's out with some old flame or other, hey-" Max's grin widened "maybe he should introduce her to you some time"

"Get off!" Ray gave him a smack as the turtle left the house laughing, a thought occurred to him and he called after the blonde "I don't suppose you know where Kai is?"

Max shrugged "the moon, for all I know. Why? Was it important?"

For a moment Ray considered telling Max about what he'd seen on the beach.

But he thought better of it; he needed to see Kai first "no, I just wanted to talk to him"

"I'm sure he'll appeared out of the woodwork sometime" Max turned to walk after the others "see you in a bit, Ray"

The neko-jin shut the door and turned back to the washing up with a feeling of trepidation; he'd really wanted to see Kai, but evidently the phoenix had already left for the beach. Ray was just going to have to wait. Sighing, he went over to the sink and turned the hot tap on full blast; leaning down he pulled out the washing up liquid from the cupboard underneath and squirted a dollop in to the steaming water. Honestly, it wasn't fair that the dishwasher had broken; Max had been complaining about it yesterday-

Ray stopped halfway through soaping a heavy solid pan. Wait a minute; he never did the washing after Max. No, he did the washing after Kenny who did the washing after Tyson who did the washing after-

"Tyson, you-!" Ray thought a few insults he'd give that dragon when he got hold of him "when I get my hands on you- you, little lying-" still grunting with indignation Ray set the now clean pan to drain on the sideboard next to him and grabbed a glass. Grumbling further about the sneaking, scheming dragon he soaped the glass, washed most of the soap suds away and moved the glass to his left to put it on the sideboard next to the-

Ray stopped the glass still clasped in his hand.

The pan was gone.

Baffled he looked back in the soapy water to see if it had fallen back in.

Nothing.

He turned round to see if it had fallen on-

The heavy pan hit him square in the face, catching the side of his head and sending shockwaves through his temple; Ray went down, the glass span out of his hand and water sloshed over the side of the sink slopping down to the floor. He slipped in the slimy water as the pan came down on the top of his head for a second time; he didn't even have time to react before it hit him a third time…

And a forth…

And a fifth…

And a sixth…

The heavy solid pan hit Ray about the head ten times, blooding spattering on the floor and cupboards behind him mixing with the soapy water.

But Ray was no longer aware of any of this; only blackness filled him, before he went out cold. The though occurred to him he should fight back, he should defend himself; but the pan kept coming, he didn't have chance to think, move his muscle or even feel the pain of the previous attack.

Down and down came the pan, crashing down upon him long after he'd lost all awareness; his attacker roared he brought the pan down on Ray's head again. He watched with satisfaction as any hold on the world around Ray had slipped away and the neko-jin slumped to the floor sodden with soapy water. The glass had skidded across the kitchen floor away from him; the attacker looked down at his handy work and then gave the pan a satisfied look.

He'd been quietly amazed how effective the pan had been; of course, taking the tiger completely by surprise had helped tremendously. Now the tiger lay, motionless and limp. But the attacker had to be sure, he had to be very sure.

Slowly, he lifted the pan above his head.

And then brought it down one final time upon the neko-jin's head.

"_DIE_!"

* * *

Haha, a cliff hanger!

So, another chapter done, and hopefully fanfiction won't take away all my page breaks - PLEASE don't take them away! Please!

Now, I'm going to concentrate on updating my other stories, such as **Nemesis **and **Virtue Of Life**, maybe **When I Recall **as well, and I need to update **Human**...and- oh, screw it! I need to update almost all of them...and **Bones Reborn**, I completely forgot about that, damn! Guess I'll be busy, lets hope good old Writer's Block doesn't pay me a visit!

So, from Breathless, I do pray that you enjoyed the chapter, please leave a review.

Thanks for reading!


	7. The Myth Of Nine Lives

**Review Replies  
**Suzanne: Thank you very much for your review! I'm so happy you liked the previous chapter, hope you enjoy this chapter. You will find out about the kid soon, I've managed to drag it out just ONE more chapter. But you do find out soon. Thanks again for your review!

* * *

My shoe. I have lost my shoe...how the hell can you lose ONE shoe! That's just stupid! Come on!

Well, I'm back! Woohoo! Everybody CHEER...or not, it's totally up to you...hmm, methinks me should have kept away from that final esspresso, I am SO going to regret it later.

Anyway, Last Time: We left on one HELL of a cliffhanger, I think that has to be my best cliffhanger to date! Someone had attacked Ray, well it's no real secret who but you still don't know who the kid really is and I'm going to drag it out a little longer...because I'm EVIL...or at least, trying to be evil, I very rarely get to be evil so it's a treat! Oh God, I'm rambling again.

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade, nor any of its characters.

WARNINGS: Evil Tala...I love evil Tala! The ever present possibilty of a mistake. And a writer who has quite clearly lost her head...and one - that's ONE - shoe.

_This is Max on the phone._

So, will your questions be answered? Find out!

Enjoy!

* * *

**Breathless**

**Chapter Seven: The Myth Of Nine Lives**

The hour was late and the street was quiet; only a few homes were ablaze with light and the other source of light were the street lamps that lined the roads like soldiers. Kai was slow in walking; he'd been drinking and it had been a tough night. He'd gone to the beach only to find that both Bryan and Tala had let their charge slip away from under their noses. For an hour they had searched, but with no real idea of where he would go they hadn't had many clues; they'd searched the beach from top to bottom, though it had to be said that Kai searched harder than Tala and Bryan.

Both the wolf and falcon had hoped that the kid had got himself run over by a car until, to their great disappointment, he'd reappeared with a huge smile and greedily eating his way through a burger. His excuse had been that he had got hungry and gone to find himself some food; Kai hadn't believed him, the kid was known for lying, but the burger still lodged in the charge's hand had been the strong evidence the boy had used.

Kai had sent his charge home along with Tala and Bryan who, on several occasions, unabashedly attempted to push the boy in to the road. The kid was used to this, however, and his reflexes had somewhat improved since he'd started living with Tala and Bryan. After that Kai hadn't wanted to return to the dojo, he hadn't been able to summon up the energy face the Bladebreakers just then, so he had gone drinking; he'd known he would probably pay for his little indulgence, Ray had a nose better than any human. But, at the time, Kai hadn't cared about that.

Now he was turning in to the front yard of Tyson's dojo dragging a hand through his hair as tiredness caught up with him; he seemed to be becoming so sluggish lately, he was sleeping deeper than he ever had before and his senses were dimmer than they had once been. It was the kid. The constant nagging, the continuous pleading, whingeing and crying. There was always something wrong with the charge and he never seemed to get tired.

It was beginning to bring Kai down.

He looked at the darkened dojo, it was quiet and still; it seemed the Bladebreakers had carried on Daichi's birthday in to the night. Good. That meant he could get some sleep before Ray latched his nose on to Kai's clothes.

He was just leaning down to the loose board on the step of the porch, under which the spare key was kept, when his phone blared out loudly in to the night. Grunting irritably and straightening he pulled it out of his pocket and answered it.

"What have I told you about calling me?" he said emotionlessly.

"_But this is an emergency_" Max's voice crackled slightly through the speaker.

Kai's voice changed to a cynical tone "has a fleet of alien space invaders attacked our planet?"

"_No_" Max was confused "_I don't_-"

"Are hoards of blood sucking vampire bats zooming down upon the city of Tokyo as we speak?"

"_No_"

"Has a large swamp invested monster reared its ugly head from the ocean and claimed its hold on the land?"

"_No, nothing's happened_-"

"Then I fail to see the emergency" the phoenix replied and took the phone from his ear to hang up.

"_It's about Ray_!" Max shouted quickly before Kai had chance to do so.

Kai paused and with a small sigh pressed the phone back to his ear "what about him?" he asked with a great sense of de-ja-vu. The Bladebreakers were always getting themselves in to some kind of trouble. Last time it had been Kenny, who had got himself caught up in a court case after he'd ridiculed the deputy-head sponsor of the BBA.

"_Have you seen him_?"

"I was under the impression he was with you"

"_He was supposed to be. It was his turn to do the dishes and then he was supposed to join us at the cinema_" Max explained "_but he never showed_"

"That's not unheard of" Kai answered without much interest. It wasn't uncommon for Ray disappear for a few hours; usually it was because he wanted to walk through some of Tokyo's city parks which were the closest things he had to remind him of the White Tiger Mountains.

"_Yeah, I know_" Max agreed "_but he said he'd join us, and I've tried ringing Tyson's home phone and he's not picking up_"

"You know Ray, he can get distracted" the phoenix sighed again, hinting, none too subtly, that this conversation really wasn't interesting him.

"_I know that. I just thought he might be with you_" Max said in a rather testy voice. Kai's tone was leaking through to him.

"He's not"

"_Well, fine, if you see him then tell him we're at Hiro's, alright_?"

"Fine" Kai removed the phone from his ear and for a second time leant down to lift the loose board-

There was no key.

Now Kai's senses picked up. There were two loose boards in the step of the porch but the spare key was always kept under the right one, the whole Bladebreaker team knew that. It was one of the things none them ever forgot. It was habit. They did it without thinking and once they'd used the key they always put it back under the right board. But now Kai lifted up the left board.

And there the key was, lying there innocently.

Kai hung up and replaced his phone back in his pocket regardless of whether Max was still on the line; his brow had furrowed and all weariness had vanished. True, it was only a small thing; it was an easy mistake to put the key under the left board instead of the right, Daichi barely knew his left from his right as it was. But it was a mistake none of them had ever made.

Kai picked up the key and slipped the board back in to place; then he stood and went to the front door, first he tried it but found the door locked. Sliding the key in to the lock he turned it and pushed the door open gently, careful not to step in to the room. He waited for a moment- A small gasp sounded three times louder in the silent room. Kai reached a hand in and found the light switch; pressing it he filled the whole kitchen with light and saw several things all in a matter of seconds.

The first thing he saw was the large solid pan abandoned on table, it was clear to see the blood congealed on its bottom edge. The second thing he saw was the sink; dishes still piled high on the one side and the water, now cold and cloggy, still filling the bowl. Some of the water had slipped over the edge, however, it had flooded over and now the water spread out across the floor in a vast shallow puddle. It was stained red.

Swiftly Kai stepped in to the kitchen; it took two steps to slip passed the table and less than a heartbeat to find the neko-jin lying in a pool of blood and water. The most alarming thing was that Ray was conscious; he was groggily trying to heave himself up on to his elbows. Ignoring the water which soaked his trousers Kai knelt down and dragged the half conscious tiger up; he framed Ray's face with his hands and studied the unfocussed golden eyes.

"Ray?"

The neko-jin whimpered in response but his eyes were sliding shut again and he was sliding forwards; he slumped in to Kai with a mumble, dried blood stuck to his face and clung to his hair. Shifting Ray in to better position Kai gently pushed aside the stiffened hair to inspect the head wound but too much of the blood had dried and it was hard to ascertain the damage.

"Ray"

The neko-jin's head was now resting on Kai's shoulder but again he managed a sound and ensured that he was aware of Kai's presence. But the phoenix needed more. He needed Ray to speak. He needed Ray to confirm the ideas and theories that were already forming in the back of his mind.

"I need you to listen to me"

"Hmm?" Ray turned his head and tried to lift a hand to the wound, however Kai stopped him.

"Can you remember what happened?" Kai asked. He pulled out his phone as he spoke.

It was a while before Ray made any other sound; he tried moving his body, but he slipped in the soapy water and Kai had to heft him back up again all the while checking Ray's bodily functions. Again Kai asked the question and this time Ray replied with a heavy sigh and a wrinkled brow "…wasn't my turn to do the dishes…" he mumbled.

He gave a small groan and rested his head back on Kai's shoulder with a mumble of sleep; Kai shifted his shoulder and, pushing his phone up on the table, gently squeezed Ray's arm.

"Ow…" Ray grumbled crossly, though he was more put out that Kai wouldn't let him sleep than the pain.

"You need to stay awake" the phoenix replied, poking in the stomach and earning himself another grumble "talk to me. Can you remember anything?"

Ray hummed for a moment and sluggishly tried to look around the kitchen, he tried to make sense as to why he was on the floor rather than standing up and doing the dishes; this proved to be too much to understand, however, and he rested his head back on the phoenix's shoulder. He sniffed "…you've been drinking…" he accused doggedly.

Kai pursed his lips. He should have known Ray's nose would be in perfect working order "that's not the point" he said in a firm voice, poking Ray again to make sure the neko-jin was still awake if not alert "I need you to tell me something, did you lock the door?"

"…Noo…" Ray shook his head slowly, stopped because it made him dizzy and then looked confused "…what door?"

"The front door, did you lock it?"

Ray shook his head again, remembered that it made the world spin right round him and closed his eyes with a groan, Kai prodded him again.

"What happened to you? What do you remember?" Kai now retrieved his phone from the table and flipped it the right way to dial for the emergency services. He pressed it to his ear awaiting to be answered; he requested an ambulance from a woman who sounded expressly bored and uninterested, in spite of being in control of the emergency callouts. The phone rang away merrily to itself for what seemed an age, everything seemed to take twice as long when one was in a hurry.

But someone answered and in quick succession and without any interruptions Kai gave the address and a quick description of the situation before hanging up and placing his phone back up on the table before returning his attention back to Ray. The neko-jin's head had fallen, his eyes were closed and he was still; sharply Kai jolted him and for a brief moment Ray came to with a small whimper.

"No…" he told Kai thickly through a haze of confusion and heaviness "…I don't remember what happened…"

* * *

Tala was passing through the main entrance hall, dragging the kid by his ear; he ignored the plaintive cries of pain and sworn revenge when Kai found out, he relished in the pain he was inflicting upon the charge and only tightened his grip when tears rolled down the boy's face.

"Ow, Tala, you're hurting me!"

"Really? Good!" Tala tightened his grip again and dragged the boy mercilessly on "I'll teach you to touch _my_ beyblade"

"I was only looking at it- ow! Tala! PLEASE! Let go! It hurts!"

"You seemed to be under the impression that bothers me" Tala stopped abruptly and swung the boy round to face him, though he didn't let go of the lad's ear "I enjoy it when you're in pain, it brings me satisfaction in an otherwise empty and pointless life!"

"Ow! OW! OW-OW! Tala!" the boy cried loudly and his sobs echoed through the entrance hall "let me go!"

"Sure, I'll let you go" Tala's eyes sparkled "I'll let you go off the top of the roof, shall I?"

At this point a yawning Bryan strolled through from the sitting room he'd been quite contentedly dozing in, until something like a battle cry had awoken him. He looked from the boy to Tala and back again with an expression that suggested that he was seriously glad it wasn't his ear Tala had hold of.

However, it was now his Captain spotted him "there you are" Tala brandished the boy "deal with it" he demanded.

Once more Bryan looked from the boy to the redhead "how?"

"Inflict pain upon it, idiot!"

"You mean, more pain than you're inflicting upon him?" the falcon asked raising his eyebrows "seems to me that you have everything under control"

Tala's growl and narrowed eyes informed Bryan that this was not the right thing to say and he swiftly made the decision that now would be a good time to vacate the premises – at least until Tala had cooled off somewhat

It was not to be, however; the main doors swung open and slammed against the wall and Kai stood there shadowed in the entrance; Bryan rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath, something about Tala and Kai being melodramatic and how he, Bryan, was the only one who had a lick of sense. This was of course forgetting the fact that when it came to planning the day or making a choice, Bryan left all the thinking to Tala.

"What are you doing here?" the wolf asked as he twisted round and brought the boy with him, the boy screamed in pain and begged for Kai's help.

The phoenix stepped in to the light and his red eyes fixated on his charge "where were you tonight?" he asked emotionlessly.

"What? What do you mean? I told you, remember!" the boy wailed "oh, Kai, make him let go, he's hurting me!"

"Tala, let him go" Kai ordered sharply as the door swung shut behind him.

Tala snarled and looked for a moment as if he was about to say something lippy but the dark look shadowing the phoenix's face changed his words "what's wrong?"

"Let him go, Tala" Kai repeated his instruction in the same voice.

This time Tala obliged and the boy scrambled to Kai with a huge smile "I knew you would rescue me!"

Kai took a step back and the boy fell short of him, stumbling over his own feet and dropping to the ground in a heap; he jumped back up in a smooth movement and beamed at Kai brightly nonetheless, if he was aware of Bryan's quiet sniggering because he'd fallen over, he didn't show it. He smiled crazily at Kai for a moment but when the phoenix continued to stare at him without a word his smile began to fade away.

"What's wrong, Kai?" he tilted his head "why are you staring at me like that?"

"When you went to get your burger where else did you go?" the phoenix asked in a low voice.

"I told you. I was hungry so I went looking for some food. I couldn't decide what I wanted so I went lots of places before I got my burger" the boy smiled.

"You didn't go anywhere else?"

The boy's smile left his face; he looked crestfallen "I wouldn't lie to you, Kai! You know that, don't you? I went to get food, but I didn't know what I wanted, that's why it took me so long. But you believe me, don't you? Oh say you believe me! It's the truth, Kai, honest! It's the truth!"

"And while you were hunting the streets for food you didn't perhaps pass by Tyson's home, did you?" Kai's voice was slow and precise, a clear indication that his temper was not to be tried.

The boy's face fell, his eyes widened to an alarming rate; he sputtered incomprehensively and, before any of them could stop him, fled for the stairs "I did for you, Kai! He knew about us! I did it for you! He saw us on the beach, I did it for you!" he vanished up the stair and they could hear him thundering up the hallways to his room where he would no doubt hide under the bed and stay there for a good few hours.

That didn't satisfy Kai; he started forward, intent of following his charge and dragging him out from under the bed by his feet. But before he could reach the stairs Tala's hand shot out and grabbed him,

"What's happened?" the wolf asked with a sharp voice.

"Ray is currently lying in a hospital bed, he was attacked and left to die"

"And what makes you think it wasn't a burglar who was surprised by Ray's presence?"

"What burglar locks the door after they've attempted to rob the place?" Kai asked back and even Tala had to admit there was some truth in that.

"Fair enough" the redhead conceded "but what makes you so sure it was _him_?"

"Timing. Reason and logic have something to do with it" the phoenix replied, his crimson eyes were back on the stairs "not to mention the obligatory gut feeling"

He pulled away from Tala and attempted for the stairs once more; but Tala's already tested temper flared again and he grabbed Kai harshly, dragging the phoenix back with a snarl.

"What are you doing!"

"I was attempting to ascend the stairs in order to find that boy" Kai's expression darkened further still, but he knew better than to let the full extent of his fury show, especially in front of Tala "what I do when I find him is not yet known"

Tala stared at him for a moment; once he tried to speak, but the words caught in his throat and failed him. His blue eyes narrowed and his teeth clenched. His grip on Kai constricted "for months I've been putting up with abuse from that boy! For months!" he hissed.

"I'm aware of that" again, Kai's voice was devoid of any emotion, but this time Tala wasn't fooled.

"For months I've been dealing with his tempers, his whining, his constant need for you, not to mention dodging every time he throws a knife my way!" the wolf's lip curled "and you've done _nothing_! Absolutely nothing! Not even a word! NOW you're going to punish him! Because of Ray!"

"He tried to kill Ray" the phoenix replied "I found Ray in a pool of blood and water, he left Ray for dead"

"He's thrown knives at me!"

"But he's never managed to harm you"

"And that's different?" Tala growled in anger "so that's how it is? I have to put with countless knives and abuse from that boy, and you do nothing! But Ray gets knocked about a bit and you fly off the handle!"

"It's not like that"

"It's exactly like that! What's so special about your _precious_ Bladebreakers anyway?"

"They know nothing about this, I want to keep it that way"

"And beating _him_ up will help that?" Tala's eyes accused Kai "or will it just make you feel better because _you_ let him near them?"

"Don't go there, Tala"

Tala ignored him "why are we here?" he asked, "coming to Japan was not a good idea, I told you that. Now look what's happened"

"I don't need lectures from you" Kai tugged his arm free of Tala and pushed passed.

"Beating him up won't help anything!" Tala called as the phoenix ascended the stairs slowly.

"I intend to tell him to stay well away from the Bladebreakers"

"He could do that a lot better if we were in Russia!" Tala retorted, but Kai said nothing and only disappeared round a corner. This fanned the flames of Tala's fury further and he shouted "fine, don't blame me if he kills the lot of them!"

* * *

"Sir, you can't go in there! Sir!"

A smile drew across Ray's lips as he opened his heavy eyes just in time to see a shadowed figure slip in to the room quietly "you shouldn't be here" he reprimanded softly.

Kai ignored this and took the plastic chair by the bed "where are the others?" he asked leaning back, his hands shoved in the pockets of his BBA jacket.

"They went home" the neko-jin replied stifling a yawn "Kai, it's two in the morning, you should go home and get some sleep"

"I'm fine"

The tiger rolled his eyes "fine, I'll rephrase that" he shot back "go home and get some sleep so _I_ can get some sleep"

"Are you in pain?" the phoenix said, choosing to ignore the less than subtle hint.

"I would be, I guess, but the Doctors have stuffed me with so many drugs I can't feel my toes"

"No other complaints?"

"I'm fine. The Doctor's are doing some tests in the morning but there's no need"

"It would be better to determine if any real harm was done"

"True, but it's not necessary with me" Ray told him "I'm a neko-jin, we have nine lives, remember?"

The Russian released a soft almost silent sigh "that's an old myth, Raymond, just something your parents told you to make you feel special"

"It's true!" the neko-jin protested, "I'm a neko-jin, I have nine lives, therefore I've just lost one. That's all that's happened"

"Whatever" Kai gave up, it was perfectly clear he wasn't going to dissuade Ray from his old beliefs and historic religions "but I still want you to have the tests"

"Oh, I'm going to, don't worry" Ray gave a smile "Hilary threatened to kill me herself if I didn't"

"At least someone on the team has a little sense" the phoenix grumbled.

The hospital room was dark and the blinds had been pulled across the window; Ray had landed himself a private room all to himself, that probably had something to do with his connection with Kai who always wordlessly demanded the best service for himself and his team. It didn't matter that someone had been hastily removed from this room; Kai expected the best service and that's what Kai got. The only light was the head light Ray had switched on himself when Kai had entered the room; it shone down upon them brightly and would have caused Ray serious headaches had not the bandages shielded the top half of his vision. It did, however, cast light on to the dark stains on Kai's clothes.

Ray's brow furrowed "is that blood on your shirt?"

The phoenix hitched his jacket further round him "it's yours" he replied. It was a half truth. He changed the subject "have you seen the police?"

Ray nodded "briefly. The Doctor sent him away, but they asked me a couple of questions"

"Such as?"

"If I could remember anything, if there was anyone strange lurking about, had anyone threatened me recently" Ray shrugged "they just seemed to think it was a robbery and I caught them by surprise, but I told them I couldn't remember anything so I wasn't much help"

The tiger lifted a hand and gently stroked the side of his face absently; his face was swollen on one side and bruises blotched his cheek, but the blood had been clean away, his hair had been washed and he was looking well for a person who had just been attacked. He was tired though, and he settled his head back in the pillows with a soft sigh of content.

He looked over at the phoenix who had closed his eyes in his typical way "I suppose I should thank you" the neko-jin mumbled sleepily.

"I didn't save your life"

"No" Ray agreed "but it would probably would have been morning before anyone had found me, I think the guys were planning to stay Hiro's" he blinked slowly at the phoenix and smiled "so, thank you"

"Don't mention it"

"What? Ever?" Ray chuckled "stop trying to act so cold and uncaring, don't think you can fool me, Hiwatari, I know you're a good guy at heart…if a little pompous at times"

"As you are only semi-conscious I'll choose to ignore that comment, Raymond"

A smirk trailed across Ray's face for a moment, but it faded slowly as he looked at the Russian who continued to sit there silently; Kai wasn't looking at him, but staring in to space silently and pointedly ignoring the flustered nurse who paused in the doorway for a heartbeat.

Ray tilted his head gently "you don't have to stay with me, you know"

"Just sleep" was all the phoenix said.

"I can't" the neko-jin whispered, "I'm tired, but I can't sleep…not yet"

"And why would that be?"

"Because there's something I need to tell you"

"It can wait" Kai answered "sleep"

"I wanted it to wait" Ray sighed and his chest heaved slowly "but I don't think I can keep my secret to myself for that long"

Kai's lips pursed, but he realised he was going to have to play along "what secret?"

"Well…" Ray stopped for a moment and thought through his words "you remember when we were in the kitchen and in answer to your question I told you that I couldn't remember anything?"

"I remember"

"That's not exactly the truth"

"And what is the truth?" Kai's red eyes focussed on the neko-jin's face which was marred by an expression caught halfway between thoughtfulness and confusion.

"Well, the truth is…" Ray's eyes lifted up to meet Kai's in a stare "the truth is, I lied"

* * *

Oh my God. I think my dog's stolen my shoe...DOG, GIMME BACK MY SHOE, DAMMIT!

Anywho, another cliff hanger - I'm on a roll! What does Ray remember? Everything? Something? A clue? Will the truth behind the boy FINALLY be revealed? You'll have to wait and find out.

I'm not sure what I'll update next. Possibly **Beat Of A Dammed Lover**, but you never know, it could be something else...like **Nemesis**! That's if I ever escape from the complete block **Nemesis **has me under, bleh, I hate writer's block.

Thank you very much for reading, I do hope you enjoyed!

Please leave a review, and tell me your thoughts.

Kiki


	8. The Boy Behind The Mirror

**Review Replies  
**Suzanne: Thank you so much for your reviews, all of them. I have to say I'm mightily proud of all the cliff hangers and twists I have in this story! Thanks again so much, I hope you continue to enjoy the story.

Cc: Thanks for your review. Yeah, I know my grammar is real bad, but I've improved I think, you should see **All Hell Breaks Loose **from chapter five onwards (actually, don't do that). I have thought about getting a Beta, but I'm one of these really annoying people who insist on doing it by themselves, and having a Beta means I'd have to rely on someone else and it all gets just to complicated for me, I end up making loads of promises I don't keep. Anyway, I'm glad you like the story, and it's good to know the characters aren't OOC, I only like that when I mean to do it, please tell me if the characters do become OOC. Thanks again!

Baz: Thanks for the review! Glad you like the story and enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Uh, this cough won't go AWAY! I hate it! Sometimes it's gone and then it just pops back from out of nowhere. I swear if this cough was a person I'd grab it by the throat and punch it in the face, utterly pointless but it would make me feel better. Sadly, this cough is not a real person, and my new best friend has become the cough medicine.

But back to the story. Lots of Kai and Ray in this one - in fact it's ALL Kai and Ray, no other characters in it. And we find stuff out...well, you do, I already know. I was thinking the other day, while I was supposed to be working, that I didn't actually know why I'd called this story Breathless. All my other stories have an obvious reason why they're called what they are, but this title just doesn't make sense. The title just popped in to my head when I made up the story and now I can't think why.

Not that it's actually very important in the scheme of things.

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade, nor any of its characters.

WARNINGS: Can't think of any, if you spot one then...tell me I guess. More than likely it'll be my awful grammar.

One thing, I was rereading this chapter, just to go through it again, and I noticed that Kai and Ray do a lot of turning round, and folding arms and that kinda stuff. It's not really a big thing but while I was reading the chapter I got an image in my head of Kai and Ray doing these twissles.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Breathless**

**Chapter Eight: The Boy Behind The Mirror**

The late evening sun was dimmed and murky, constantly hidden away by the white puffy clouds that floated passed as they carried slowly on the warm wind; the beach at this time was usually empty save for the last few determined tourists who laughed as if they'd never seen the sun before. Other skimpily clad people were trailing their way off the beach and in to town, looking for drinks and food before they returned to their hotels to dress and change for dinner.

Up above the beach, where the cliff edge rose up like a giant sea-wave of rock, the phoenix stood on the cliff path which led from the beach all the way to the top; he stood by the white painted railing that stop the plummeting drop, his arms folded and his jaw set. He stared out over the sea as the huge expanse of water rippled and swayed, readying itself for the evening tide. Up above the seagulls laughed their choking cries and circled in groups, twisting and intertwining with their own.

He shifted his stance and winced as pain flared up his leg; beating his charge had been satisfying, but it had come at a price. The boy may act weak and childlike, but when threatened he was as strong as the rest of them, and he knew how to fight dirty. At present Kai was supposed to be on the hunt for him, as the boy had disappeared some hours earlier; the phoenix had come to the beach knowing that was where the boy liked best. But he had been unable to accomplish this task because Tyson, Max and Daichi had set up a teaching lesson and had made it impossible for Kai to search without being seen.

Teaching beyblade to kids had never really interested Kai; all the other members of the Bladebreakers did it, Ray was the most precious teacher in his home of the White Tiger Mountains, and Tyson had become the famous teacher everyone wanted to learn from. But Kai had no patience with children; they annoyed him, irritated him with their dumb questions and even dumber attempts at beyblading. Of course both Max and Tyson had attempted to make Kai understand the good they were doing to both the community and the future of beyblading.

But Kai didn't care about the community, and he had more important issues to tax his mind with than the sport of beyblading, which, though had been the main focus and obsession of his childhood, now was no longer a major part of his existence, despite the fact he always carried his blade around with him. It seemed to be a common trait amongst the Bladebreakers; none of them could quite let go to what had been. That was why they were all still staying at Tyson's home, all living together with no real plans for the future; all of them, in their own way, were clinging to the past.

"You can't hide from me forever"

The neko-jin had stepped silently up to Kai, like a cat, but the phoenix didn't move, or even look in Ray's direction "I wasn't aware you'd been released from the hospital"

"They let me out this morning" Ray replied as he appeared at Kai's side and looked down at the beach below them.

"Are the others aware?"

"Of course" the neko-jin nodded "Hilary thinks I should go back, she thinks I need more time to heal"

"You did sustain a head injury, there's no telling what damage is done"

"The Doctors did their tests. But I told you, I'm a neko-jin, I only lost one of my lives"

"If you insist"

Ray ignored the subtle jibe at his childhood beliefs and instead turned to Kai, his own arms folded "you know, I was in hospital a week and you only came to visit once"

"I wasn't aware I was under any obligation to make my appearance"

"You weren't. But I have to say I found it interesting, especially after the conversation we had"

Kai's shoulders tensed, but other than that there was no sign of recognition "and what conversation would that be?"

"Don't play that game, you know what I'm talking about" the neko-jin leant his back against the banister his face fixed on Kai's "the conversation where I told you I remember everything that happened to me"

"Your point being?"

"My point being I haven't seen you since"

"Is that significant?"

"I think so, I think you're avoiding me" Ray blinked and raised a hand to gently touch where the pan had struck him, he was a fast healer, or blessed by the gods as he claimed, and the only hint of damage was a slight bruising and swelling to the side of his face "I gotta admit that's a first for you, it's not usually your tactic to hide"

"What gave you the impression I was hiding?"

Ray pursed his lips and shoved his hands in his pockets "I'm not playing this game, Kai, I want the truth"

Kai's eyes were closed, his arms folded and his body immovable; the only change in his entire posture was the raising of his left eyebrow "truth?"

The neko-jin's mouth set in a frown "alright, lets take it from the top, shall we?" he shot back, he cleared his throat "seven days ago it was Daichi's birthday and we all went to the zoo, along the way Daichi picked up this kid and brought him back to have lunch with us. The kid seemed ok, if a little overbearing and we all went our separate ways" he paused, waiting to see if the phoenix gave any hint of recollection or even a simple sign that he was still alive.

Kai said nothing.

Ray continued, "I went out for a jog later, that evening, down to the beach. Whilst on the beach I spotted the same boy who seemed to be tagging along after two people who I know only too well, also known as Bryan and Tala. They were in the process of waiting for you. Having made this important discovery I ran back to Tyson's in search of you, to find out you'd _mysteriously_ vanished _again_"

He stopped to push the hair from his face and lean back heavier against the railing; his strength wasn't completely recovered, and it was a steep path from the beach to the top of the cliffs.

"The others were planning to prolong Daichi's birthday and I was conned in to staying behind and doing the chores. While I was on my own doing the dishes someone crept in to the house, snuck up behind me and attacked me with a pan that I had just washed" he looked back at Kai "do you see where I'm going with this?"

"You'll have to enlighten me"

Ray's lips tightened for a brief moment, but he regained himself and said in constrained tones "the boy who came to Daichi's birthday, the boy on the beach with Bryan and Tala, and the person I caught a quick glimpse of before I was struck down, Kai, they were the same person"

For the first time Kai opened his eyes and looked at Ray fully in the face, his tone was neutral "fascinating as this story is, I fail to see its direction or its purpose"

Ray's eyes narrowed; he'd known he was going to have a battle on his hands, extracting the truth from a reluctant Kai was worse than bleeding a stone, but it still pissed the neko-jin off "stop acting innocence" he said shortly "it won't work"

"Then I suggest you turn around and walk back the way you came" Kai replied "it was also be a good idea not to ask me any further questions on this subject"

"May I remind you that seven days ago that boy tried to kill me" the tiger retorted snappishly "I think I have a right to know what's going on"

"You do have that right, but that won't induce me to divulge anything"

"At least you admit you're linked to that boy"

"I admit nothing" still the phoenix's voice was level, deadpan "but I will tell you again, Ray, do not ask me any questions"

The golden eyes flashed "you lost the right to keep this from me when you let someone you know hurt me" he said sharply "I've known for a long time that you've had a secret, Kai, we all have, but we kept our distance, because we know you like your privacy" his jaw hardened "but my respect for your privacy dissolved the moment that pan was brought down on my head. I want to know, Kai, and I want to know now"

"Ray, I am not telling you a thing"

"Do you really think I'm gonna let up on this?" the neko-jin asked him in a hard voice "I'm going to find out the truth, though you or via another method. I will hound you for days if I have to, I will follow your every move, watch every step you take because I know that, sooner or later, you'll go back to that boy"

"Haunt me all you like, you won't find anything"

"Why are you being so difficult about this?" the tiger growled "I know you have something to do with that boy, it's plain to see now I have more of the facts. Who is he, Kai? What's he got to do with you? Why did he attack me?"

Kai stood, arms still crossed, and stared out over the sea; there was a splash as a seagull hit the surface like an arrow and drew up again with a successful flap of its wings, the writhing fish lodged firmly in its beak. By now the sun was beginning to dip below the surface of the water; the sea was aglow with the golden shimmer that rippled along its skin, the straight line of the horizon seemed to blur with the setting sun. The air was cooling and more of the tourists were leaving, gathering their children and towels before heading up laughing and shouting, the noise carried far on the empty air.

"He attacked you because he was trying to protect me" the phoenix said softly.

Ray, who hadn't been expecting an answer at all, jumped slightly at Kai's voice and looked up quickly "protect you?" he repeated "why?"

It was a demand rather than a question and normally Kai would have baulked at answering such a tone; but Ray didn't care about that, and Kai knew without doubt that if he didn't give the neko-jin a satisfying answer then Ray would no doubt get himself in to trouble on his search to find the _truth_.

"Because he knew you'd seen him on the beach with Tala and Bryan and he didn't want you to link him to me" Kai explained in the same quiet voice, his red eyes moved to Ray's "you have your answer on why you were attacked, I doubt there's any point in hoping that will be enough"

"No point at all" Ray agreed resolutely "carry on"

The phoenix thought silently and gave Ray a look hard stare; he knew he could count on Ray's secrecy, he didn't even have to ask, but that didn't change the fact that letting Ray in on his secret could be risky to all involved, Ray in particular. On the other hand Ray wouldn't let up, he could get himself in to deeper trouble if Kai didn't tell; neither option Kai liked, and it was a case of choosing between two evils.

But also there was Bryan and Tala to consider; the wolf would be less than happy to discover that someone, an outsider no less, was privy to the secret they'd kept so guarded. As for Bryan; he wouldn't exactly be ecstatic to learn that it was Ray who knew their secret, and Bryan would do anything Tala said. Together Tala and Bryan made an unbeatable enemy, and they were capable of anything; the problem with that was Kai didn't know how they would react to finding that Ray knew everything.

And then there was the kid himself. Kai didn't know how Tala and Bryan would react, but as for the boy, Kai knew even less what his feelings would be on the matter. He'd tried to kill Ray for this very reason; to protect Kai, to protect the secret they shared together. Kai was in charge of the boy, and that had to be a secret they had to keep from the world; that was what the boy understood, that was why he'd tried to kill Ray.

How would he react when Ray knew everything?

Because it wouldn't take long for them to find out that Kai had talked; all of them were smart, and no doubt Ray would want to meet the boy. That was out of the question of course, but Kai doubted he could keep a leash on the neko-jin and it would only be a matter of time before Ray and his charge came face to face. The boy had tried to kill Ray once; there was every possibility that he would try again.

Ray stared back; he couldn't deny the slight excitement of discovering who the boy was, discovering the secret Kai had been keeping from them. He had so many questions. And the fact that Kai was even prepared to confide in him meant a lot.

"Do you remember the first time you met Boris?" Kai asked in a slow voice, as if he was still balancing out the pros and cons of his situation.

Ray nodded eagerly "how could I forget? The guy sent shivers down my spine every time he looked at me"

"You remember what happened?"

"Of course. He tempted Tyson in to a beybattle with some kid"

Kai nodded "and then?" he prompted.

Ray shrugged "the kid lost, Boris didn't seem too pleased and he had the kid dragged off somewhere. Tyson wasn't too happy about that, but there wasn't a lot he could do"

"Do you remember what the kid was called?"

The neko-jin thought, biting his lip "uhh…Alan? … Al? … Alexander!"

Kai looked at him pointedly.

Ray blinked "what?" he stayed puzzled for another second before the relevance clicked in his head; he gasped, "you're serious? The kid that Daichi invited to his birthday lunch was _Alexander_? The kid that Tyson beat?"

The phoenix nodded again.

"And he attacked me" the neko-jin took this in and then shook his head "but it still doesn't make sense, what's Alexander doing with you now? Why did he attack me to protect you?"

Kai sighed and turned his back on the sea and setting sun to lean against the railing next to Ray; his foot rested back against the railing as he gazed at the cliff wall directly in front of him "as you've already said, you think Alexander is a little eccentric"

"Well he was" Ray pointed out "he seemed awful eager to be with us, but no freakier than any other fan I've met"

"That is incorrect" the phoenix answered, "Alexander is not eccentric"

"He's not?"

"No, the decent way to phrase it is that Alexander's mind is unbalanced" here the phoenix glanced at the tiger.

"Are you sure? Seems a little harsh to-"

"Insanity is not as clean cut as you appear to think, Alexander is able to act and behave as normally as any other person for most of the time" Kai's tone was emotionless, devoid of any interest in the topic of discussion or any outcome it would serve "he knows how to talk to other people, he knows how to converse, interact, he knows how to be kind, thoughtful and honest"

"But?" Ray asked.

"But there's another side. The side that can attack, lie, punish, and even kill. His temper is violent; he can act like an adult one minute and a child the next. He kills animals for fun, tortures them, hurts children, he enjoys pain and inflicting it on others" behind them the sun was pooling gently in to the sea, the street lamp above them flared in to life

"You could say that about a lot of people" the neko-jin reasoned "wouldn't necessarily mean they were mad, just cruel"

"The difference between cruelty and insanity is that Alexander has no awareness that anything he does is wrong, he has no concept of the difference between good and bad, or right and wrong. People who are cruel know what they do is wrong in the eyes of the law or morality, the difference is they don't care"

"Alright, I'll bite" the neko-jin zipped up his jacket "how did this come about?"

"After Tyson had beaten Alexander Boris declared that Alexander was not worthy of a beyblade, and instead subjected him to experiments and research purposes which would enhance the skills of other bladers" Kai explained "at the time I was not aware of this, I was thirteen when this was happening and Mr Dickinson deemed me too young to take such information" a flash of annoyance passed across the phoenix's features.

"So he told you this later?"

Kai nodded "when I turned sixteen he revealed all this information to me, he didn't tell me all the details, and Alexander never talks about it, so I don't know what Boris did during to those experiments, but the result is the fifteen year old boy who attacked you"

Ray thought about this; he gripped the railing tightly, the cold bar freezing his hands as he pondered what Kai had told him. The memory was blurred by blood, and the fuzziness of time, but he could remember the face that had leered down at him when he'd hit the kitchen floor. The memory was only the briefest of flashes and more than that Ray couldn't remember very well, save for the sounds, but he could clearly recall that face of Alexander.

"So that's how he became what he is" the tiger looked back at Kai "but how did you end up with him? You mentioned Mr Dickinson, does he know about Alexander?"

Kai nodded "when Biovolt was destroyed they found nine boys strapped down to tables with tubes taking blood and bodily fluids, and computers monitoring their every move. One of these boys was Alexander"

"And Mr Dickinson took these boys in?"

"Not exactly" the phoenix clenched his teeth as memories he'd rather were forgotten were dredged up "after Biovolt most of the boys were sent back to the homes they were from, the ones who were orphans or found on the street were sent to child care. But the ones in the experiment room were clearly in need of medical help; eight of these children had been stolen from their homes, and they were sent back with funding for their medical treatment. But Alexander had been found on the streets"

"He had nowhere to go" Ray whispered.

"The only thing Mr Dickinson could do was fund Alexander's medical help himself, he sent Alexander to a clinic where the Doctors looked after him, and that's how it was for three years"

"Until?" the neko-jin asked, and then answered his own question "until the BBA was out bought by BEGA and Mr Dickinson lost everything" he realised.

The phoenix nodded "Mr Dickinson had nowhere else to turn, and the Doctors wanted payment. Mr Dickinson had enough funding to keep Alexander at the clinic until after our battle with BEGA, but then the money ran out and Mr Dickinson had no options"

"Except to turn to the one person who had to help him" Ray guessed, he frowned "but I don't understand, you've been letting Alexander loose, why don't you just fund the clinic yourself? You're rich enough, aren't you?"

"I have enough money to keep me free from my grandfather, left by my parents, but other than that I would have to use the Hiwatari funds to pay the clinic and my grandfather would find out"

"And I'm guessing you don't want Voltaire to find out about Alexander"

"If my grandfather discovered I was keeping Alexander then he would have Alexander killed" Kai's jaw tightened "Alexander is my responsibility, and therefore it's my duty to keep him alive"

"But what about all the kids of the Abbey, why hasn't Voltaire had them killed?"

"Because he paid handsomely to keep all the families quiet, Alexander is the one person that can link my grandfather to Biovolt, if Alexander talked then the police would have enough to jail my grandfather"

"But there were so many boys at the Abbey" Ray gasped, "surely Voltaire doesn't have enough money to fund them _all_"

"Money has never been an issue for the Hiwatari family" Kai replied, seemingly unaware that the thought of so much money made Ray feel dizzy, after all, the neko-jin himself only owned two corn fields and a goat.

"Alright, I get all that" Ray looked out over the darkening sea, the sun was just peeking out over the horizon and the sky was ablaze with red light "but why would Alexander attack me, I get that he's trying to protect you from Voltaire, but I would never rat you out"

"I understand that" Kai acknowledged "but Alexander does not, all he understands is that we have to keep his existence a secret, as far as he understand the only ones who can know are me, Tala and Bryan, anyone else must be silenced"

"Well, I expect you could have enlightened him a little"

Kai looked at him "meaning?"

"Meaning you could have told him about us" Ray replied easily "and you _should_ have told us about him, we could have helped"

"I don't need your help"

Ray sighed "of course, I forgot, you never need anyone's help" he rolled his eyes "so how what sort of Doctor do you have looking after Alexander, is it one who visits at night or what?"

"There is no Doctor"

Ray laughed.

Kai's eyes flickered towards him "I fail to see any humour in the situation"

The neko-jin's shoulders shook "sorry" he smiled "it's just for a moment there I actually thought you were implying that it was just you, Bryan and Tala looking after Alexander"

"Yes"

Ray stared at him, and then choked down another laugh "I'm sorry" he said again "let me get this straight" he pointed at Kai "_you're_ the ones looking after Alexander?"

"Yes"

"You?"

"Yes"

"Tala and Bryan too?"

"That's what I said"

"You, Tala and Bryan are looking after a boy with an unbalanced mind?" there was a pause as Ray stuck his tongue in his cheek to refrain the giggles from escaping.

"I don't understand your amusement" the phoenix asked as Ray broke in to snickers.

"Well…it's just…you, Tala and Bryan _aren't_ exactly Mary Poppins now are you?" the tiger fought down a smile, he chuckled again and only laughed harder when Kai shot him a glare.

"We have managed this far" Kai's voice was curt, and he was clearly perturbed by Ray's sniggers "the humour in your voice obviously displays your lack of faith"

Ray's smile looked likely to break through again "just trying to imagine you, Tala, and Bryan, all looking after a deranged boy…" he buttoned his lips together and swallowed back another giggle as Kai's glare increased, he shook his head "nope, can't do it"

"Your confidence in my attempts to keep Alexander safe is most comforting"

Ray laughed "forgive me" he said again "I don't mean to burst your bubble, Kai, honestly I don't. But don't you think it's a good idea to let a professional look after Alexander? It might be better all round, I doubt Tala and Bryan enjoy looking after him, and I'm willing to place a bet you hate it"

"That cannot be considered as an option" the phoenix replied in a deadpan "I have explain to you the reasons why I cannot give Alexander medical treatment"

"And I understand that" Ray agreed "but isn't there someone else you can ask for help? What about Mr Dickinson?"

"The BBA has only just managed to fund the next championships" Kai replied in the same strained voice "I cannot ask Mr Dickinson for funds he does not have"

"And your pride won't let you admit you need help" the neko-jin added.

"I have no need of help"

"Kai, of course you do" the tiger told him "I mean, how long to do you plan to continue this game? Without medical help Alexander won't get any better, and you need help to look after him. Surely you can't be planning to look after him the rest of your life"

"I have no intention to do any such thing"

"Then what are you going to do?" Ray persisted.

He looked at the phoenix expectantly; Kai sighed and shut his mouth, the silence around them was only broken by the lost call of a gull, and the sound of breaking waves as the tide began to creep its way in.

"You don't know, do you?" Ray guessed, "you've no idea what to do"

Kai's pride stopped his voice, but his silence spoke louder to Ray then any words would have done.

The neko-jin stepped in to his line of vision "laughing aside, don't you see that you need help?" he asked quietly "surely even you have to admit you can't do this alone"

"I'm not alone"

Ray snorted, "I don't imagine Tala and Bryan are much help" he replied with a knowing look "more of a hindrance in fact"

"Nonetheless I do not any help from any outsider" his Captain stated in a clear hard voice "so any notion you had of sticking your nose in, drop it"

"Alright, you say you don't need help, then answer me this" Ray folded his arms and gave Kai a challenging look "why come to Japan? I assume that since you've been looking after Alexander you've been hopping back to Russia periodically, that's why you kept disappearing for months at a time. That system was working, wasn't it? So why bring Alexander to Japan?"

The phoenix said nothing, but neither did he look Ray in the face. Instead he turned his head away his square jaw sharp.

"I'll tell you why" the neko-jin murmured as if he'd known Kai would make no response "because you _know_ you can't do this by yourself. That's why you kept coming back to Japan to see us, that's why you brought Alexander here, because being with us means you're away from him. And you need that time away from him, you can't cope with him all the time" the tiger gazed at Kai so solidly the phoenix was forced to look at him "admit it"

There was a silence, the soft wind blew dried leaves around them in flurries; the sea behind was picking up and making small crashes down on to the beach, soaking in to the sand before withdrawing back to repeat the same cycle. The sky was darker now, and the street lamps above them glowed harder than before as the evening drew on and fell in to early night.

The phoenix and tiger remained motionless; their eyes met and locked, if someone had walked by them then neither would have noticed. For a time it was like staring in to a mirror, the same expression marring each face; the stubbornness that bordered determination, though Ray's lacked the pride Kai's obtained.

And then Kai turned away, broke the contact and walked passed the neko-jin, their jackets brushing softly together. The neko-jin took a step back and turned his head to watch the Russian phoenix walk away as Kai's words floated back to him on the breeze "I have nothing to admit, and nothing else to say"

* * *

So now you know who the kid is. Well, you do if you remember the episode back in the first season, if you don't then I can assure you that Alexander is not an OC and that you briefly glimpse him. Actually, now I think about it, I'm not entirely sure his name was Alexander, I might have remembered it wrong. If someone can remember and it's not Alexander, can you drop me a line so I can fix that?

Oh, and by the by, some of you may remember, if you read **Bones Reborn**, that on one of my Author's notes I was kicking myself because I could have used Alexander instead of creating Egan. And if you remember that and see some similarites between All** Hell Breaks Loose**, **Bones Reborn **and **Breathless **then you would be totally right. This whole story was born because I was pissed off with myself that I hadn't used Alexander at all, so I created one where I had.

For those of you who don't read **Bones Reborn **and haven't read **All Hell Breaks Loose **then please, ignore the above.

Anyway, thanks for reading!

Please leave a review.

Kiki


	9. Alexander

**Review Replies  
**Suzanne: Thanks so much for the review! Finding about Alexander is just the beginning. And the relationship between Kai and Ray will be starting soon! Thanks again!

* * *

Hey, guys, so as promised **Breathless **is updated! Wow, I finally did something I said I was going to do!

So, I hope you all had a good new year! Happy 2011!

WARNINGS: Alexander

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade, nor any of its characters.

Last Time: We found out all about Alexander and why he attacked Ray, and who he was and all that. Ray tried to reach out to Kai but as usual Kai refused all help.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Breathless**

**Chapter Nine: Alexander**

It was morning, the early light was fresh and cold; there were noises from the Granger household as the Bladebreakers started their day, Daichi and Tyson could be heard shrieking at each other as they usually did, Max was singing loudly in the shower sending steam and hot air out from under the bathroom door. Hilary was in the kitchen with grandpa supposedly cooking breakfast though, to judge by the bad smells leaking from the window along with the black smoke, it wasn't going too well. All was normal in the Granger household.

Ray growled and pulled the pillow back over his head; he was supposed to be resting, still recuperating from his attack, his Doctor's orders had been strict rest and relaxation. But a three-week army-training course was more relaxing than resting with the Bladebreakers; he shifted in the bed burying his head under the covers trying, in vain, to drown out the sounds of Daichi. Something that was impossible without being in a different country.

For a moment the sounds grew louder as the door slid open quietly; irritably the neko-jin battled his way out from the tangled sheets and popped his head out to glare savagely at the phoenix who walked disinterestedly across the room without so much as a glance at him, Ray's eyes narrowed "I suppose you should apologise for waking me up" he said pointedly.

"Then again I knew you weren't asleep, so an apology is not necessary" replied Kai smoothly as he reached his bag that was placed directly above the mattress upon which he slept.

"Who could sleep in this racket?" the tiger grumbled dumping his head back on the pillows grumpily.

"You, if you'd bothered to take the sleeping pills the Doctor suggested"

"Has it occurred to you that maybe I don't like taking medication?"

"Has it occurred to you that if you had taken the medication you wouldn't be lying in bed sulking?"

"I'm not sulking!" Ray shot up and scowled at the phoenix.

"You have me fooled" Kai answered neutrally plonking his bag on the end of Ray's bed so he could search through it.

"Oh put a sock in it!" the neko-jin snapped "I seem to remember you get awful tetchy if you don't sleep well!"

"True, but I would have taken the medication prescribed to me, therefore I would have slept well and would not have been tetchy in any way"

"Smart-ass" sighing savagely the neko-jin pushed the fallen hair from his face and yawned, "Tyson's up, it must be late"

"Tyson was pressured in to getting up earlier" the phoenix said now tossing clothes and other things on to Ray's bed; elusive and rich Kai might be, but, as Ray had learnt to his cost, Kai had grown up believing people would tidy up after him, therefore he wasn't the tidiest of people when it came to clothes and anything else the phoenix deemed superficial.

"How so?" asked Ray removing the top from his face that Kai had just thrown so listlessly across the room.

"Some kind of interview the press want, Mr Dickinson arranged some time ago"

"Yes" the neko-jin remembered, he looked expectantly at Kai "but weren't you invited too?"

"I was"

"Let me guess, you're not going"

"Explain to me why I should attain a shallow small minded interview presented by some brainless useless moron with the brain capacity of a newt"

"A simple no would have sufficed" Ray scrabbled up from the bed and wrestled with covers he'd tangled himself up in; chucking the pillow off the bed he fought his way out and stood with a stretch. Curiously he walked over to Kai and looked over the phoenix's shoulder, just as Kai threw out another t-shirt "I have to ask, what are you looking for?"

"Nothing that concerns you"

"Oh?" Ray's ears pricked.

Kai rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath; it really was about time he remembered that anything he refused to divulge only intensified the seemingly immortal curiosity of the neko-jin. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but tell that to Ray and he probably wouldn't believe it; now he watched on regardless of Kai's irritated glare as Kai searched through his belongings.

Finally, he located what it was he was looking for and brought it out in to the light; Ray blinked, whatever it was he'd been expecting it hadn't been a large kitchen knife that seemed to have been crudely wetted against a stone.

"Oh my god, you're gonna kill Tyson" said Ray stunned "he's finally driven you to it"

"Don't be crass"

"Don't give you ideas you mean" Ray replied taking the knife from Kai's hand without the phoenix's permission and giving it a good look; Kai tried to take it back, but Ray foresaw this and withdrew away. He was quicker than Kai, and his neko-jin agility made him lighter.

"Ray"

The tiger took a sharp step back and wafted the knife around experimentally "so what's with the knife, Kai, people don't tend to have them hidden in their bags…not good people anyway"

"It's none of your business" said the phoenix feigning a step to the left and catching Ray when he tried to dodge right; Ray may be the faster, but Kai was the better at smart tactics. He caught the knife from Ray's fingers brought it out of reach when the neko-jin tried to retrieve it.

"So why do you have it?" Ray asked again, he gave the phoenix a shrewd look and folded his arms expectantly "and don't try to blow me off with some stupid excuse, it won't work"

Kai sighed impatiently and pursed his lips; Ray's golden eyes narrowed and he moved himself until he stood between Kai and the door.

"Spill"

Kai gave Ray a Russian comment that was none too polite and then said, "it's confiscated"

"Confiscated? You mean from Alexander? So that's where you were last night"

"You had to wonder?"

Ray shrugged "not really, but you avoided me, I didn't get chance to ask you"

"Ask is understating it somewhat, the appropriate word would be demand" answered Kai stiffly.

"Don't be like that. I'm only bothering you because I know you need help, you'll thank me one day"

Kai lifted an eyebrow; he couldn't see that happening any time soon, however, the neko-jin wouldn't give him a moment's peace until he was satisfied with what he heard, which usually meant Kai gave up pieces of information he didn't want to give. Somehow, Ray always knew how to twist him.

"So?" Ray prompted, "what's with the knife? Why is it confiscated?" he now moved to the window realising that Kai, for the moment, had accepted defeat. He pushed back the curtains and let in the bright light of the morning; outside a car could be seen pulling up on to the pathway, the driver clambered out and walked to the passenger's side. Mr Dickinson had arrived to take Tyson to his interview; the dragon could be heard hooting loudly.

"The truth is I'm not sure what Alexander was planning to do with the knife" Kai replied.

"But you have an idea" Ray added still looking outside as Tyson leapt out to Mr Dickinson and Max and Hilary joined him to greet the old head of the BBA. It had been almost six months since Hiro had taken over the company of the BBA; at first it had been on a temporary basis, just until Mr Dickinson recovered from a bout of phenomena. Then it had become permanent when Stanley Dickinson had decided he wished to live the remainder of his days as a retired man with a big garden.

As Kai had said, it was rather cliché.

"What makes you think I have any ideas?" asked the phoenix, his voice was level but Ray felt the wariness that had awoken.

The neko-jin looked over his shoulder "because you're Kai" he explained "you _always_ have a theory, but don't take it as a compliment" he added cheekily, smirking when the phoenix's dark red eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

For a moment Kai didn't answer; once more he was weighing up the pros and cons of revealing what he actually had in his head. He was fairly sure that the theory he had been thinking on was the right one; the problem was, he didn't know if it was worth telling the neko-jin. Telling Ray would be dangerous, but not speaking of it might also proved to be just as hazardous. Either way he lost all and gained nothing.

"Kai?" the neko-jin had turned from the window, a frown on his light features as he saw the look of uncertainty on the phoenix's face. It wasn't like Kai to be so unsure.

"There's no simple way of saying this" Kai answered calmly, rather too bluntly for Ray's liking but Kai had never been good at subtlety "I think Alexander was coming here to kill you"

Ray's eyes widened in surprise rather than fear; he came away from the window and looked at Kai "you're serious?"

"It's a possibility"

"But why would he be coming after me again?"

"Because he didn't kill you the first time"

"So he wants to try again?"

"He still believes that you're a threat, to me and his life"

"Isn't there some way you can persuade him out of that idea?"

"I've told him that you're not something to be bothered about, but it'll take some time before he realises that for himself"

"Oh really?" Ray's hands went to his hips "and how long is that gonna take?"

"I'm not sure, it takes him a while to get used to new ideas"

"Just exactly how long is a while?"

"Alexander is not a machine, nor a beyblade, I cannot predict how long it will take him to see that you are no danger to him"

"Kai, that's not good enough" now Ray folded his arms and looked at the phoenix with concern and alarm in his eyes and mouth "what is Alexander going to be doing while he's getting _used_ to the idea? That means he could try again, maybe he'll actually succeed this time, or worse he might hurt one of the others"

"I won't let that happen"

The neko-jin shook his head "I'm not sure I can just sit back with a promise that you'll sort everything out"

"Well that's a shame, because that's all you'll be doing"

"It is not!"

"Yes, it is" Kai said sharply "because I'm not going to run around after you making sure you don't get yourself hurt"

"I don't need your protection!" snapped the tiger "I can look after myself perfectly well"

"I'll believe that when I see it"

Ray glared; he wasn't angry, but Kai's lack of emotion and arrogance was beginning to piss him off "I mean it, Kai, I'm not going to sit around and wait. There has to be another way"

Kai gave him a warning look "and what exactly did you have in mind?"

"I don't know, maybe I should meet him and try to explain that I'm not gonna get in between the two of you, he might understand"

"No" Kai's voice was dark and firm, his deep eyes latched on to Ray with such a look of threatening menace that the neko-jin almost took a step back "if you go within one mile of Alexander then I will feel no guilt in locking you in the smallest box I can find"

"Maybe I could-"

"I said no"

"But you're not even giving me a chance" Ray protested, "you're not giving Alexander a chance either, he could be more accepting than you're giving him credit for"

"My answer is no, and it always will be" said Kai coldly, he turned for the door with the knife still in his hand "I'm going to the Manor to make sure Alexander stayed there last night, I'll make sure he doesn't come anywhere near here"

"If you're so worried about us then why didn't you stay with Alexander last night?" the neko-jin growled.

"Tala and Bryan keep an eye on him, between us we keep him under control"

"Really? At what cost?" Ray demanded, "you know the reason you keep coming back to the Bladebreakers is because you can't handle Alexander. You need help, Kai! If you would just let me meet Alexander then-"

"Don't even go there, Ray" Kai looked back over his shoulder, his red eyes locked on the tiger.

"But I'm better with people than you are, he might respond to me more" Ray persisted "and you need help"

"I'm going to say this one more time" Kai turned away sticking the knife in to his belt and pulling his shirt over it "you and Alexander are not coming face to face, if I have to send you to hell first"

* * *

"Hey, Ray, have you seen Max?" Kenny's head popped up over the back of the sofa on which Ray was sat busily writing letters to the White Tigers, around the neko-jin there was a growing collection of screwed up abandoned attempts to assure his hometown friends that he would be returning soon.

"Sure, I saw him with Hilary in the kitchen a while back"

"I just came from there, he's not there now"

"Why do you want him anyway?" asked Ray looking despondently at his fourth attempt at a letter.

"He wanted me to update Draciel, I want to return it"

"Well, I'm sure he can't be that hard to find" the neko-jin replied "he would have told us if he was going out"

"But he's not-" Kenny broke off suddenly and scurried to the window just in time to see Daichi dive down behind a bush with a large stick at the ready "what _is_ he doing?"

"He's convinced someone's watching the house, kid's seen too many movies" Ray stretched his legs out along the sofa and rested his head back against a cushion.

"Probably Kai no doubt"

"Nah, Kai's out"

"Again? He sure goes out a lot these days"

"Yeah…he's busy"

"With what?"

"Oh you know Kai" said Ray airily "he's always up to something secret"

"Heh, maybe he's seeing someone" Kenny grinned, "I'd feel really sorry for the person who fell in love with Kai"

"Hmm" replied Ray screwing up his letter; he threw it to the floor with a sigh and dropped his pen, he'd always found writing Chinese with a pen harder than his traditional methods back at home, it made his hand ache. He felt he should say more, make some sarcastic comment though none came to mind.

But he was interrupted by a large crash that made him jump; he sat up abruptly, Kenny whirled round with a small cry his hand on his chest. They froze for seconds as more sounds indicated someone was in the kitchen dropping things.

And then they heard the door slam.

Alarmed Ray stood quickly "Daichi?"

"Still outside, hiding behind a bush" Kenny gasped "Ray!"

"Stay here" Ray went to the door and slid it open; he checked the clock on the wall, Tyson wouldn't be back from his interview for good while yet and the neko-jin wasn't expecting Kai back until that afternoon. Besides, Kai never made that kind of noise. He looked down the corridor, but it was empty and all normal "Max?"

There was no reply.

"What's happening?" asked Kenny peering round the neko-jin "is it a burglar?"

"What burglar attacks in the day?" replied Ray, and then stopped as a thought struck him: his earlier conversation with Kai. Was Alexander really trying to kill him again? Was it Alexander now? Could it be?

"What is it?" Kenny squeaked anxiously seeing the look of shocked realisation on his friend's face.

"Maybe Daichi's not mad after all" Ray muttered to himself, then he said louder to Kenny "get Daichi, if there is someone spooky around then the last thing we need is Daichi getting himself in to something"

"But what if the burglar is still in here?"

"He's not, he slammed the door"

"That could be a ruse!"

"I'll find out, just get Daichi before he gets himself in to trouble" Ray ordered, he left the sitting room making sure Kenny pushed open the door that led outside. He called for Max again, louder this time, though there was still no reply.

Quickly he reached the kitchen and pulled back the door: chaos hit his eyes. The taps had been twisted full blast, and the plug blocked with a towel. Already the water was threatening to flood. Packets of cereal had been thrown across the room and pieces of muesli and cornflakes were scattered across the room. Kenny had been working on Max's beyblade in here; his laptop had sat on the table, with the beyblade beside it. Now the laptop was on the floor in two pieces, it had been yanked off its hinge and a knife had been dragged down the screen. Max's beyblade was in bits.

Hurriedly Ray dived in to the room and screwed the taps quickly just as the water bulged over the edge; then he left the room, opening the door to the bathroom and pantry on his way to Max's room. Warnings were ringing in Ray's head; he still couldn't believe that this could actually be Alexander. It wasn't like he'd never met Alexander before; he'd had been here on Daichi's birthday, though at the time Ray hadn't known. But that boy had been polite and nice, if a little overbearing. Was Alexander's madness really like this? So volatile?

"Max?" Ray opened the door to Max's bedroom, without bothering to knock "whoa!"

Max and Hilary lurched back from each other like they'd been stung; they span round as one with a loud gasp, faces flushed and expressions somewhat dazed. Ray froze in the doorway, hand still clutching the edge of the door; this was just what he needed right now, more problems. Ray had known for a long time the feelings Tyson harboured for Hilary, though the dragon had never admitted it; and Max was Tyson's best friend. Right then, the neko-jin could have kicked the pair of them.

Instead he lifted his eyebrows at Max "so much for Mariam, huh?"

Max blushed harder and floundered for something to say, "what was…what was that crash just now?" he asked rather sheepishly.

"There's a loud crash that rocks the whole place and you don't think it's something to concern yourself with?" answered Ray questioningly; he couldn't help the slight sarcasm in his voice.

"I thought it was Daichi or something…"

"Hn, that's if you were thinking at all"

Max winced, he knew how Tyson felt about Hilary too "don't be like that, dude," he pleaded, "I didn't mean for this to happen"

"Try telling Tyson that"

"What's Tyson got to do with this?" asked Hilary crisply, she folded her arms and looked at Ray crossly, irritated that Ray had interrupted them "it's not up to him who I kiss"

Both Max and Ray failed to answer her, and this time it was the boys who looked away from her; the neko-jin cleared his throat and changed the subject quickly, deciding it was probably best if he just stayed out of the whole situation "anyway" he said offhandedly as if it was all casual "someone's trashed the kitchen"

Max and Hilary stared at him "trashed the kitchen?" echoed Hilary "but who would do that in broad daylight?"

Ray hesitated. Should he tell them the truth? To do that without Kai's permission seemed wrong somehow, and it wasn't as if he had any proof; but if this was Alexander's doing and the Bladebreakers were in threat then they had the right to know. For a moment the neko-jin felt a flash of annoyance at the phoenix; if Alexander was here then what was Kai doing?

"It was probably some deranged fan" he replied finally "anyway, Max, your blade's crushed, and Kenny's laptop isn't much better. I'm gonna need help tidying up"

"Someone should call the police" Hilary said, "we can't let this go unpunished"

"And tell them what?" asked Ray "that someone nobody saw trashed our kitchen"

"We have to tell someone! We can't just clean up and let this go!"

"Ahh, we'll tell Kai" Max replied, "I'm sure he can hire some kinda mafia- Ray?" Max's brow furrowed deeply as the colour drained from the neko-jin's face as if it was wet paint running down "Ray, what's wrong?"

"What?" Ray snapped to, and grinned weakly "nothing, kitchen yeah?"

He left them quickly, willing them not to turn and see what he'd just seen; Alexander had been peering in through Max's window, nose and hands pressed to the glass, his breath fogging it up and giving him a blurred effect. When he'd made eye contact with Ray he'd grinned, widely, showing all his teeth in a large toothy leer.

Ray passed down the corridor and through the kitchen in less than a minute; Kenny and Daichi had made their way to the kitchen and now Daichi patted Kenny's shoulder as the young genius stared in disbelief at his wrecked laptop, accidentally he stepped on a broken piece of Max's beyblade. They tried to stop Ray as he swept through; but the neko-jin merely grabbed his jacket and tugged it on as he dragged open the door and left.

He made his way round the building, passing through the shadow cast by the sun; there was a gate at the back of the property and as Ray reached the backyard he found it stood wide open, almost calling to him. He followed on, not really understanding what it was he was getting himself in to; Kai had been adamant that Ray should not meet Alexander and Kai knew him. Kai knew Ray was no weakling; that meant that if Kai felt Alexander was some danger to Ray then this was serious.

But he felt he had no choice; it had been Max's bedroom Alexander had peered in to. Whether that was because Ray had been in Max's room or because Max was Alexander's next target didn't matter; the point was that either way his friends were at risk, something which Ray wouldn't have no matter what Kai said. He stopped outside the gate and looked around.

The back of Tyson's home led to a small path that spilt in to three; left went in to town, it was to the nearest bus stop. Right led to the beach and sun and sea; while straight on would take him to a small park full of trees surrounding a small pond. Setting his jaw Ray headed down the one that led straight before him; the trees would give Alexander cover so he could watch Ray from afar. As if to confirm this reasoning a song of loud childish laughter rang out through the trees and there was the scramble of someone dashing from one tree to another, Ray was seriously reminded of some of the children back in the White Tiger Mountains who would often play these games with the older kids.

Except those children had a charm about them, and none of them would trash a kitchen or carry a knife with the intent to kill. Was Alexander really out to kill him? Was it wise of Ray to walk straight in to a group of trees? This wasn't a beyblade match; this wasn't about two spinning tops that held Bitbeasts; this was his life, his blood pumping through his veins. Was Alexander armed? Did he have another knife? Was Ray walking straight in to a trap?

Ray pulled himself together; this was a kid, a boy of fifteen, no matter how one looked at it. And Ray was a master in the martial arts; he could protect himself against a group of heavily set men, let alone one measly kid. Nevertheless, Alexander had been brought up in the Abbey; he'd been the subject of experiments, taught to be a killing machine. Who knew what he was capable of. Ray had to be careful.

Ray was in the trees now, walking through them sensitive to every sound and snap of twig; twice he thought someone was behind him and stopped to look carefully, once he was freaked by a bird erupting from the tree tops. Again he heard that laughter and now a voice sang out to greet him, speaking words Ray didn't understand though he recognised the Russian language.

He reached the pond, breaking through the trees and stepping out in to the clearing; the pond was flat and unmoved, there was no breeze to ripple of the surface and no birds disturbed its skin. The loud crack of a twig had Ray snapping round, his hand lifted in defence; there was nothing behind him, only one solitary leaf gently drifting down to the ground in rocking motions. Another rustle, a little to his left, had his eyes sharpen; he heard a small chuckle and a bush shivered. Something was breaking forth, the bush was bulging forwards as the leaves were pushed aside and the branches bowed to release- a rabbit shot forwards, skipping quickly over the grass to disappear back in to a thicket to the neko-jin's right.

Relaxing once more, Ray turned back to the pond.

And froze.

Alexander was standing, grinning widely with leaves in his hair and a tear in his jacket; his jeans were baggy and dirty, nothing like the designer clothes Ray had seen him previously. His hair was unclean and even from here Ray could see the dandruff; his face was mucky, and a scratch bled lightly on his chin. His feet were bared and torn, though the boy seemed not to notice.

Alexander laughed again, that haunting humourless laugh that sounded so loud in the trees; he waved wildly as if Ray was a long way away, then he threw his arms wide "hello, Ray!"

* * *

Well, there ya have it! Alexander is such a freaky kid! I'm going to have so much fun writing him! And Kai and Ray's budding romance is starting soon, yay!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review.

Thanks for reading!

Kiki


	10. Hide And Seek

**Review Replies  
**Suzanne: Thanks so much for the review! I'm sorry for the long wait but I've been such a busy bee it has been unreal -.-' I'm glad you enjoy the story and may you continue to do so.

Pop Rana: HERE I AM! Yay, it has been a while. I never meant it to be so long but you know how these things go. I do hope you enjoy this chapter! And thanks for the review!

* * *

WELL! It has been a while, hasn't it, folks! I can only say I am sorry and that my long list of excuses are as such...ahem...Work Experience (yeah, that took a bit of time)...Mother being ill (also time consuming, she is a brat)...Me being ill...Finishing my homestudy course...Looking after various pets while their owners are away on a lovely holiday (damn them!)...Looking after and training me new house puppy (she's the devil!)...Entering a failing relationship...ending a failing relationship...and many other things that are so many I can't even know where to begin.

Anyway, time moves on faster than we all would like and so here I am weeks later than I intended. Never mind, there's nothing I can do about...unless someone knows how to make a time machine.

Back to the story.

Last Time: Ray now knows about the truth about Alexander and Alexander tried to kill Ray because of this. Hilary and Max were caught kissing by Ray who was on the hunt for an intruder who later turned out to be Alexander who has now yet again come face to face with Ray...OO, drama!

WARNINGS: Craziness. Possible mistakes...can't think of any more but if anything upsets you then just don't read it and it'll all be good.

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade, nor any of its characters.

Without further ado or interference...enjoy!

* * *

**Breathless**

**Chapter Ten: Hide And Seek**

The neko-jin stood silently, waiting; he wasn't sure how to approach this…should he smile, or tell Alexander to keep his distance? He didn't know what Alexander wanted and it was impossible to read the motives hiding behind that impossibly big smile which cracked Alexander's face in half.

So, this was the face of madness was it?

Ray pondered that question silently for a moment as he and the younger stood still each watching the other with the pretence of relaxation: as if they were two strangers meeting for the first time. Except they weren't. As features went, Alexander was fairly normal, pale and gaunt with a grin of craziness, but plain all the same. But there was something odd in the way he stood, held out his arms and greeted the neko-jin; it was perfectly normal, and yet, at the same time, it held all the charm and serenity of a tiger waiting to pounce.

A rather ironic analogy when considering the fact that it was Ray who had been considered the wild tiger all of his beyblading life; he wondered what Alexander thought of him, the boy was standing there frozen in place, as if he'd jumped out of the passage of time and stayed fixed in the one point. Did he think Ray was strange? Did he think Ray was insane? Did he think the entire world was crazy while only he, Alexander, had any lick of sense?

Ray had thought he would never meet anyone he couldn't read before; but that had been before he met Kai, before he met Tala and his band of followers. It was now Ray realised that anyone who had come from Biovolt had been instilled with the command not reveal feelings, not to show emotions. A brilliant skill if one was a solider waiting for battle over the world as Boris had planned, but completely useless if one was living in a normal world surrounded by normal people who thought of nothing but the emotions and feelings of themselves and others.

Ray twitched; it wasn't the silence that was starting to creep him – he'd had more than enough practice with Kai – it was the ever staying power of that smile, the one that spread across Alexander's face like a painted on clown smile. It was freaky and unsettling; the urge to break that smile was overwhelming.

"It's so nice to see you again, Ray!" Alexander laughed, the high-pitched laugh that a child made when he was delighted over some excitement. Cute, if it hadn't been pealing from the mouth of a supposed fifteen year old with a tall thin lanky body. Coming from Alexander it sounded…chilling.

"Alexander" Ray replied. What was it he was supposed to say? Was he supposed to smile? The last time he and this boy had come in to interaction Alexander had been smashing a frying pan down on his head. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to have come alone.

Ray immediately brushed this idea from his head. Was he a neko-jin or not? Neko-jins didn't need the aid of others to deal with the likes of Alexander.

And how exactly was he going to _deal_ with Alexander again? It wasn't as if he could invite the boy for tea…

Or maybe he…could? After all, his mother had always said that manners were the key to any solution. And there might be the chance that Alexander might respond to kindness rather than a demand that he should state his business and leave.

"Would you like to come back to Tyson's?" Ray asked carefully, wondering if it was wise to bring the boy back when he'd promised himself he wouldn't let the Bladebreakers come under any harm "I'm sure I could rustle up some tea…or something, would you like something to eat?"

Alexander thought about this, putting his finger to his lips as he furrowed his brow to think of his answer; then his expression cleared and he said cheerfully "no, it's ok. I'm playing hide and seek with Kai just now"

He laughed loudly as Ray tried very hard to imagine _Kai_ playing hiding and seek. Kai counting to a hundred. Kai placing his hands over his eyes so he couldn't see where Alexander had run off to. Kai shouting at the top of his voice '_ready or not, here I come!_'

Nope, Ray just couldn't do it.

Instead he asked "so, is Kai around here somewhere?"

"Oh no, Kai's back at the manor" Alexander said brightly "he thinks I'm hiding in there somewhere"

Once again, Ray attempted to visualize Kai searching through the manor in search of Alexander; checking under the stairs, looking in the library, searching the kitchens and pantries. It was no good, if the neko-jin kept this up he was just going to give himself a headache.

"I see" he nodded calmly "are you sure you don't want something to eat while you wait for Kai to find you?" his voice had taken on that high kind tone, the same tone adults used for little kids; he wasn't sure it was wise to pretend Alexander was a little child, but when the boy smile that overly cute smile and laughed that little laugh, it was almost impossible not to.

"No, I have to get back to the manor before Kai knows I've left the manor" Alexander replied with a dramatic shake to his head "I'm not supposed to leave the manor you see, and Tala gets mad if I disobey Kai's rules"

So Tala was in this too; Ray had already known that, but to have it confirmed seemed to give the scene he'd witnessed on the beach a whole new level of realism "you'd better get back then" Ray advised, trying to keep his kindly tone to the minimal "we don't want Tala getting angry with you"

"Oh I know, there's just something I gotta do before I go back" Alexander replied, he smiled again; but this smile was different, the feeling of the child had gone, to be replaced with a sense of manic madness.

The change was so sudden Ray had to stop himself from taking a step back; the little kid before him had just vanished so fast it was almost like it had never been there, he found himself quite desperately holding on to that image of the smiling child just to soften the eeriness of this new grin "you have to do something?" Ray asked carefully, still humouring, it seemed to be the only thing he could think of "what is that?"

"Oh, I just have to kill you" Alexander said, he laughed then, still that kid laugh, but with this strange possessed beam it was freakish.

Ray thought fast; he could fight Alexander, no problem. This situation was different from last time; Ray was prepared and he knew Alexander's strength, compared to the tiger's martial arts training the boy just didn't stand a chance.

But was fighting his way out the best option?

He wasn't Alexander. Ray had no doubt in his mind that when Alexander said the word kill he knew what he meant and he meant what he said; but Ray was no killer, sure in self defence things spiralled out of control and got messy. But he could have this kid at his mercy in one strike; killing Alexander then wouldn't be self-defence, it would be cold-blooded murder. And Ray wasn't capable of that.

But killing Alexander would be the only sure fire way of keeping the boy away if he went down that road. He could knock the boy out, but that would only last for a while and then Alexander would return, again and again, getting sneakier and sneakier, until he'd finally accomplished his goal.

No, fighting his way out of this wasn't an option. It would only lead to a never-ending tussle that would lead trouble to those innocent around him. Ray wasn't going to let that happen.

There was another way. After all, if one couldn't beat them, then the only other option was to join them; and wasn't there that old saying? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Alexander was an enemy there was no doubt about that.

But in Alexander's mind, it was Ray who was the enemy; all Ray had to really do was to change the crazy boy's mind.

So, he smiled.

"Come on now, I'm sure you don't mean it" how the neko-jin managed to laugh lightly and pleasantly he wasn't quite sure "you can't hate me that much"

"Oh don't worry, I don't" Alexander wafted his hand quickly "actually, I kinda like you. But you see, you saw us on the beach and you weren't supposed to see us on the beach because Kai said you Bladebreakers weren't to know about me and so because of that I have to kill you now" all this he said in one big breath, then having had his piece he let out a big gasp and sucked in more air "so, it's nothing personal, but you gotta die now"

"Surely we can wait a little bit?" Ray asked keeping the sense of urgency from his voice though he couldn't help asking himself how Alexander planned to carry out his little harmless murder.

"Um, I'm sorta in a hurry right now" Alexander explained "so I have to do this kinda fast, but don't worry, it won't hurt much"

It wouldn't hurt at all if Ray were dead; things weren't going as he would have hoped and then Alexander took a step forward reaching behind his back and suddenly Ray didn't want to see what Alexander kept there. Because Alexander was changing again; he wasn't quick and scurried like a kid, his movement were slower, more upright, it was as if he were ageing before Ray's very eyes and the older he grew, the darker he became.

The smile was gone. Replaced by a dark look of menace and cruelty, and this was the madness Ray realised; he hadn't been sure what insanity had meant before now, all over the world people did strange things that other people thought were crazy. The neko-jin had always thought the term insane a rather loose and vague notion; but now, looking straight in to Alexander's face, it was like staring in to a black hole, knowing there was no chance to-

"Wait, don't you want to play a game?"

Alexander stopped, wide eyes snapped up to Ray with a look of hopefulness that could have been called endearing in any other circumstance but this "game?" he repeated slowly "you want to play games with me?"

"Sure!" Ray agreed, thinking fast on his feet was a talent but the thought of playing games of Alexander had to be one of his craziest notions ever. Still, as long as it worked then that was all Ray cared about; to be perfectly honest, he wasn't willing to test the theory of the neko-jin's nine lives again "playing games is fun"

Alexander thought about this and tilted his head; he looked back at Ray carefully, slowly he asked, "do you know how to play hide and seek?"

Ray smiled – the charming smile that no kid could ever refuse "sure I do, and you know what? I'm better than Kai"

"You are?" Alexander's eyes widened at the very thought which the neko-jin took as a good sign, anything to keep the boy interested and distracted from his murder mission was surely a good thing.

Still, Alexander was a loose cannon; one wrong move and his mind would switch back, like the flick of a switch he would change from kid to killer and Ray wasn't sure what other ideas he could come up with if Alexander didn't completely warm up to the idea of playing hide and seek.

"Of course I am, I bet Kai doesn't give you much chance to hide right?"

A dark look passed over Alexander's face at the mention of the phoenix and all of a sudden Ray wondered if mentioning Kai was a bad idea; after all, Kai was an idol to the boy and any bad word against him might send Alexander straight in to the mouth of a killing spree.

But then again, no matter how godly Alexander believed Kai to be, there was no way in this world or hell that Kai was any good when it came to playing a child's game like hide and seek. Not even Alexander could defend that one.

Alexander shook his head with a sad sigh "no, he doesn't even count to ten"

Ray suppressed a grin: that was more like the Kai he knew. He pouted instead and sighed heavily as if he too thought it was sad that Kai didn't play the game properly. It might have been more of a reaction than was necessary, but anything was better than bursting out with laughter at the whole idea of the phoenix playing games "aww, not even to ten? Tell you what, how about I count to one hundred, that'll give you plenty of time to hide right?"

The smile was back. It spread across Alexander's face and he clapped his hands together in joy; whatever age he'd gained in the last moments were washed from his face like smeared paint, his changes in personality were so quick that one was slow to catch up. The small child grin had been on Alexander's face for a good few seconds before Ray realised the murderous intent in Alexander had vanished all together "you mean it? All the way to a hundred!"

"All the way to a hundred" Ray agreed "I'll even turn my back from you so I don't know which way you go"

"Honestly?" Alexander laughed and jumped up and down his hands high above his head as if it were the best news he'd ever had, as if Ray had given him all his presents all at once "oh this is so much fun! Kai's never this fun! Normally I have to force him in to playing with me!"

Now _that_ Ray could believe.

Things were going well; he still couldn't read Alexander's real intent and he was quite sure the boy could still be as tricky to keep entertained as he was to interpret, a behavioural trait that could easily been compared to the other ex-members of Biovolt. However, maybe it wasn't as difficult to decode as the neko-jin had first thought; there was a key in there somewhere, a clue Ray could use to ensure Alexander's firm friendship. Alexander liked fun it seemed, he liked to play all the games he'd never got the chance to enjoy when he'd been a real child; but living with Tala and Bryan, being ruled by Kai couldn't leave much room for joy and entertainment. Ray would have placed bets on the Bladebreakers' lives that the wolf and falcon were as willing to play games with Alexander as they were to join the Bladebreaker fan-club.

Ray was on Alexander's hit list, but only because Kai had said so and Alexander only listened to Kai because he loved him so much; but that could change, in the blink of an eye if Ray played his cards right. Kindness and friendship, comfort and reassurance were things Alexander was clearly lacking in his everyday life and they were things that Ray could so easily slip in. All he had to do was get Alexander to trust him, love him and any danger Alexander meant to him would be vanquished.

So there was no question about it, the tiger realised as he watched the boy celebrate his new game; if Ray wanted to stay alive, he simply had to become Alexander's friend, maybe even surpass the boy's love for Kai…if that were at all possible.

"Well, how sweet is this? Alexander's found himself a new toy"

Ray span round more freaked than he would have liked to admit; he was good with his senses, could hear someone approaching him from a mile away. Was that Tala really that good? It appeared so as the redhead stepped out from behind the trees arms folded his cold expression several degrees colder than the norm. The expression on his face took Ray by surprise, mainly because it was at him that the glare was aimed; the first thing that entered the tiger's head was that he'd somehow made himself a serious problem in Tala's life. But that was impossible for the simple reason that the wolf never let anything in the world threaten or undermine his strength and pride, an personal trait the wolf had taken even more seriously since the incident with Garland which had been reported as Tala's greatest and most undignified failure. It was said to have almost killed his fame.

"Tala, how long have you been there?" Ray asked softly. He would have liked to believe that Tala had only just arrived on the scene, that all this time the wolf had been looking for Alexander and not standing out of sight waiting to see if Ray could talk himself out of being killed by a fifteen year old mad boy. But, this was Tala: the king of bastards. And, irritatingly, Tala was too smart not to know where Alexander was at all times. For all Ray knew, the wolf had known that Alexander had tried to kill Ray with a frying pan before it had even happened.

"I've been following that freak ever since he left the manor," replied Tala walking forwards to join the tiger "the idiot believes he can sneak around without a sound, in reality he sounds more like an elephant running downhill" he cast a scathing over to Alexander who had gone strangely silent his face turned away from Ray so the neko-jin could no longer see his expression.

"So you were there when he threatened to kill me" said Ray narrowing his eyes dangerously. It wasn't a question. There was no need to ask such a stupid thing. He didn't know what it was, but all Tala had to do was stand there and it pissed Ray off "you stood there while my life was in danger"

"Yes"

"And I don't suppose the thought of…oh I don't know…helping me out ever crossed your mind?" the neko-jin didn't really know why he was bothering; maybe it was because he was never really able to believe that anyone in the world could be that heartless, surely it was a instinct inbuilt in to the nerves of everyone who aid those whose lives were endangered. Was he still really that naïve these days? After all he'd been through? Surely not, surely he'd given up on looking for the good in every single person around him.

"Well why would it?" asked Tala, he had the nerve to genuinely curious about the answer "I don't care if you die, and I was vaguely interested to see how you would die"

That irritated the neko-jin further and he wasn't sure why; maybe it was the fact that he knew Tala was without doubt telling him the absolute truth.

He snarled "if you've gotta a problem, Tala, then just come out and say it!"

A slow crude smile spread across Tala's face "now-now, Raymond, lets not fight in front of the children"

The neko-jin bristled at the use of his full name but said no more as he looked back at the boy who had been, just moments before, bouncing up and down at the mere prospect of hide and seek. Now he was slumped to the ground, shrivelled in to the smallest of balls, his hands over his head to protect himself. Sobs could be heard from under these arms, whether they were sobs of fear or the sorrow of being found was yet to be determined.

"I'm sorry" came the small voice "I'm sorry"

Tala sniffed "what was that?" he walked over to Alexander and lifted his foot "I didn't quite hear you"

His foot collided with Alexander's unprotected side and with a cry the boy went sprawling over on to his back; he tried to escape the next blow, but Tala was too quick. The wolf's foot caught Alexander again, and a third time less than a second later; the boy didn't have a chance to fight back or even have time to really scream until Tala's foot stamped down on his chest hard.

"I'm sorry, did you say something!" hissed the Russian in a voice like ice "because it sounded to me like you were sorry you'd left the manor!"

"I am!" Alexander wailed, "I'm sorry-sorry-sorry! I won't do it anymore I promise! I swear! Please don't hurt me again!"

"Sorry, huh?" Tala laughed "what good is _sorry_? You were told you weren't allowed to leave the manor, Kai's explicit instruction, but where do I find you-"

"I'm sorry! Please, Tala, I'm sorry!" Alexander cried, the tears welled up in his face and he blubbered noisily, the snot bulging at his nose "don't hurt me- AHHH!"

"Don't interrupt me when I'm talking!" the wolf sneered kicking Alexander in the ribs "what right does a childish freak like you-"

"Stop it!"

Before the wolf knew what he was doing he was being shoved backwards; the neko-jin had appeared from nowhere, teeth bared and eyes like slits. Fingers like claws attacked Tala as Ray swiped him away from the mess on the ground; there was a fierce look in Ray's eyes, a fire like a tiger's and he stood firmly between Tala and Alexander.

"Leave him alone, Tala!"

Tala scoffed in disbelief "you can't be serious"

"You heard me"

"You're actually going to _protect_ the one who tried kill you?" the irony in Tala's voice was more than easy to hear.

Ray ignored this "you're not going near him"

"You have a serious personality complex, you realise that, don't you?"

"Say what you want, Tala, you're not going to hurt him anymore" Ray glared; it had been a while since he'd been this angry, his frustration with Kai came at a close second, but violence against the defenceless was the one thing that got him riled up, it always had. Behind him he could hear Alexander snivel pathetically and held his ground even as Tala loomed closer like a dark shadow.

A snarl passed between the wolf and tiger; they'd never had much interaction, but the dislike was intense, after all Tala had been the one who had used the Bitbeasts of White Tigers for his own needs. Granted, Kai had been the one who had taken to begin with; but Kai was different, he had apologised so Ray's forgiveness had nothing to do with favouritism.

At least, that's what he told himself.

Tala had been the one to take all of those Bitbeasts and use them against Tyson in that last battle that had almost killed three people not to mention nearly blown Tyson away. The reports had claimed that had Tyson not won the battle then he most certainly would have not survived, some had even hinted that there would have not been much of a body to mourn over. So what if Tala had followed Boris instructions as he had done all his life, he hadn't realised he was able to make a choice in the matter and that Ray could handle just fine. What he had trouble with was that to this day Tala had shown no signs of guilt or any regret, Tala had even claimed previously that he actually wished he had indeed finished Tyson off that day.

"Fine" somewhat surprisingly, Tala relented first "you win, have your heap of snot"

"Ray" a small hand clutched the back of the tiger's foot and he looked down to see Alexander crawling over to him, hiding behind his legs like a dog hiding from its beating "don't let him hurt me" Alexander whispered, he wiped his nose with the back of his hand and shrank back when Tala laughed at him "I'm scared"

Where was that happy child that had been springing about? Where was that killer that had been cold blooded and ready to kill Ray on sight? A scared and lonely child, just begging to be rescued, had replaced it all. That face was just so pitiful and wretched that Ray couldn't resist: he didn't want to think about the craziness of it.

Instead he leant down and held out his hand with a smile "don't be foolish, he's not going to hurt you anymore, I promise"

"Do you mean it?" Alexander hiccupped and cowered once more as he looked over at Tala carefully "he's really mad, he hits me when he gets mad"

"That's not going to happen anymore, I'm gonna make sure of it"

"Oh please" Tala sneered "this is painful, what exactly are you going to do? Loom over him like some crappy guardian angel?"

"Better than that" Ray replied as he finally took Alexander's hand in his own and hauled the boy up to his feet "I'm going to talk to Kai"

There was a silence, momentary and pointed; Tala lifted a delicate red eyebrow with a great artistic motion "you're going to talk to Kai? That's it?"

"It's all I need to do"

"Oh really" Tala laughed again "if that's your plan then I'd rethink a little, you honestly believe that I'd get away with beating the crap out of that thing if Kai didn't want me to? How naïve are you exactly? Kai doesn't care what happens to Alexander, if he did then we wouldn't be standing here at all"

"If that's the case then I'll just have to change his mind" said the neko-jin.

"And you really think Kai's going listen to you?" Tala asked, "we both know that Kai listening to anyone is a rare occurrence"

"I'll make him listen" Ray answered in hard voice as Alexander clung tightly on to his arm, looking desperately between the tiger and the wolf as if it were a tennis match.

"Oh really" Tala scorned with derision "well I'll be sure to stop by tomorrow, I'll be interested to know how this is going to turn out, that's if you see Kai at all before tomorrow. He's planning to stay with Alexander tonight"

"Oh no" Ray's eyes narrowed "you're not pulling that one on me, Tala, you think I don't know what you're doing"

"And what is it I'm doing?" asked Tala, his voice was full of tormenting humour, but the trace of warning in his tone gave him away. Ray was unsettling him; this wasn't how it was all supposed to go.

"You think I'm gonna let you walk off with Alexander and tell Kai I want to talk to him?" now it was Ray's turn to smirk with a teasing edge "really, Tala, how foolish do you think I am?"

"I don't know," replied the redhead "I suppose it all depends on what you plan to do" he stared at Ray for a moment, huge blue eyes narrowing warily. But then disinterest passed over him and he looked away as if he couldn't care less, though Ray caught the way his body twitch at every breath "whatever, I'm bored of this"

The wolf looked over at the boy coldly.

"Come on, you miserable rat, we're going now"

Alexander's eyes widened "no! Ray, you said-"

"I said we're leaving, _now_!" Tala snapped; he turned away ignoring the plaintive look the boy gave to the neko-jin.

Ray smiled "not so fast, Tala, I'm coming with you" he gestured to Alexander to step forward and together they moved as Tala spun around once more, all pretence of nonchalance gone.

"You are not!" the wolf snarled, teeth bared.

Ray blinked at him once, completely unfazed by the ferocity of Tala glare "did I say you had a choice in the matter?" he asked coolly. Once more he beckoned to Alexander and boy grabbed on to his arm, clinging to it as if he would die if he let go; something of this reminded Ray of the days of his past when Mariah had held on to his arm when they passed through the scary forests of the mountains. So the neko-jin smiled again at Alexander and together they passed silently the wolf without another word.

"You're playing a dangerous game, Kon" Tala warned, "Kai's not going to like this"

* * *

And there ya have it! I know, I know, no Kai x Ray action, but that's coming in the next chapters...with a bang! You know this has to be some kinda of record for me, ten whole chapters and not so much as a kiss!

Anyhow, I do hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'm sorry for the wait. Please leave a review!

Thanks for reading!

Kizzes!

Kiki


	11. The Road To Hell

**Review Replies  
**Suzanne: Thanks for the review! I really appreciate the support you give for all my stories! I hope you enjoy this chapter and additional ones!

* * *

Well, here I am! With another update no less! Exciting!

So I meant to update last week but I got stuck halfway through the chapter and was somewhat distracted by the thrilling show of Supernatural! Love that show! Much to my mother's horror I'm slowing buying the whole lot!

Anyway, new chapter for you!

WARNINGS: Bad language. Spelling and grammar prehaps.

Alexander is pretty mild in this one, but he's gonna get creepy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade, nor any of its characters.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Breathless**

**Chapter Eleven: The Road To Hell**

"This is a bad idea" said Tala, again.

Again, Ray ignored him; he walked calmly up to the manor with Alexander clinging desperately to his arm as if Tala terrified him, this Ray might have believed whole-heartedly if he hadn't caught the various smirks of victory Alexander passed over at Tala every now and then when he thought Ray wasn't looking. But the neko-jin pretended not to notice, it was clear Alexander was only feeling brave because Ray was there at all.

"There's still time to turn back" the wolf continued.

"No! Don't go, Ray!" Alexander clung on tighter "please don't leave me with him! He'll hurt me!"

Now that _was_ something Ray truly believed; he smiled down at the cowering boy stuck to him head ducked in fear "don't worry, the only way I'm walking is forward, I promise"

"You won't let Tala hurt me?"

"I already told you that, didn't I? I promise you, from now on I won't let him hurt you, ok?"

"Cross your heart and hope to die?"

Behind them Tala smirked "I wouldn't place any bets on your life, Alexander may be a pussy cat just now, but don't be fooled, he can turn murderous at any moment"

"Thank you for your insight, Tala" replied Ray coolly "I'm already aware of that change in personality if you remember, you were the one to stand idly back as he planned to kill me after all"

"Yes, you talked yourself quickly out of it" Tala agreed coldly "I have to admit I'm impressed, none of us would have thought agreeing to play hide and seek would have appeased him so rapidly"

"That's because you don't know anything about chi- people" Ray corrected himself quickly; he wasn't sure what Alexander's reaction would be for being referred to as a child. The boy was fourteen after all.

"We never got to play our game!" Alexander remembered suddenly, he looked pleadingly up at Ray "will you still play with me? PLEASE!"

"Of course" the neko-jin answered.

"You'd better make sure you keep your eyes open" Tala's voice floated from over the neko-jin's shoulder "that game could turn very nasty if you let it"

"Just ignore him," the tiger told Alexander before he could protest "Tala's just jealous because I want to play games with you and not him"

There was a sound verging on a choke of disbelief.

Alexander laughed with delight "Tala's just so boring, isn't he, Ray?"

The feeling of ice suddenly spread across Ray's back, it was as if Tala was trying to sear his very soul; he blithely ignored it as if Tala wasn't glaring daggers at him "yes, he is very boring"

"Keep talking as if you know what you're doing, Ray" Tala's voice drifted to the tiger's ear almost as if the redhead had crept up behind him to whisper "Kai isn't going to like this, so mock me and make Alexander your friend as much as you want, this little liaison isn't going to last long"

"Is that true, Ray?" a hand slipped in to Ray's empty one and made him jump; it squeezed him just like a little child would tighten its grasp to seek reassurance. It was meant in good faith but all the same, it gave the neko-jin the creeps.

"Tala doesn't know what he's saying" Ray said firmly with as much comfort as he could muster "Kai will have no problems with our friendship, everything is going to be just fine. All I need to do is talk to Kai"

"And then things will be good?"

"As good as the devil in velvet trousers" sneered the wolf.

Ray said nothing.

* * *

Kai was not having a good day. This had been said before; it wasn't a rare occurrence for Kai to have a bad day, but on this particularly occasion the outlook was beginning to appear very bleak and dark. Losing Alexander had been bad enough, losing Tala half an hour later had been worse, and locating them all on his driveway suddenly along with a very _un_welcome neko-jin was really the part of Kai's day that won awards for being the worst day he'd had in a while.

A can was shoved in his vision.

The falcon stood beside him watching his Captain, his charge and his worst nightmare all walk up towards the manor; Kai accepted the can and Bryan gulped half of his own down in one swallow. If this was going to be the worst fiasco in history then Bryan wanted to be drunk enough to laugh at it.

Kai on the other hand didn't drink; had this been a day back in Russia with no one to stop him, he would have followed suit and emptied his can in a matter of moments. But something about Ray had made him pause; the neko-jin hadn't been happy on discovering how much Kai was ingesting in a day, and he'd subjected Kai to more than one lecture on the matter. It wasn't that which made Kai stop, however. There was always something so balanced about Ray, something Kai certainly lacked; Kai respected that balance in Ray, admired the tiger for it even.

That balance the neko-jin had so naturally was something Kai couldn't seem to hold on to; that simple fact made him fight for it, if he had to sacrifice the indulgence of alcohol to match Ray's balance then so be it. What Captain would he be if he couldn't match his own team-mates?

If only Ray knew that secret little truth.

Kai was sure the tiger would smile if he found out that even after all this time Kai couldn't tolerate being weaker than his team.

"I want to know something" said Bryan flatly as he watched his team captain saunter towards them behind the neko-jin.

"I imagine there are a thousand and one things you wished to know" Kai replied again banishing himself from drinking.

Bryan stopped before speaking again, trying to figure out if that was a compliment or an insult; then he remembered that Kai had never complimented him in his entire life. He scowled, but continued on with what he'd been going to say "why is Ray Kon here?"

"Ray is here because he wants to help"

"But I thought that none of the Bladebreakers were supposed to know about the brat"

"That's correct"

Bryan blinked somewhat confused; it wasn't very often he actually took part in conversations with Kai, as far as he was concerned Tala was his leader and what Tala said was law. The fact that Tala took that same law from Kai was completely irrelevant in Bryan's eyes for the simple fact that he didn't like talking to Kai. The phoenix spoke in riddles, it was difficult to follow the line of thought "but-" he began.

"I said Ray's here because he wants to help" Kai elaborated sensing Bryan's rusty brain wheels were having trouble understanding the situation "I didn't say I'd given him permission"

"So he's not supposed to be here?"

"He's not"

"Great!" now this was something the falcon could understand, he slammed his fist in to his palm and grinned, "I'll go act as security"

"That doesn't mean I allow you to beat him up" Kai said crisply "this isn't a chance for you to claim revenge over a beyblade match"

Bryan stopped and unfurled his fists in disappointment "so what are we going to do?" he asked sulkily giving the tiger below a scowl as if Ray would be able to feel it through double glazed glass and several metres of air.

Kai didn't answer; truth be told, he wasn't sure how to handle to the situation. This was Ray, not some random stranger; the neko-jin was immune to Kai's glares, he was smart enough to not be outwitted and, worst of all…he _knew_ Kai. He would know Kai's arguments before the phoenix had chance to put them forward; even now the tiger would be running through all the things Kai would say to get rid of him. Even more irritatingly, Ray could be as stubborn as Tyson when it came to certain things; Kai wasn't sure what Ray's opinion about Alexander would be, but he knew in his heart that it was going to cause trouble.

"Get Alexander away from Ray" was all he said.

Bryan blinked "how? You want me to ask nicely?" the falcon snorted with laughter. He hadn't said a nice word to Alexander in his life and he had no intention of starting now.

"I don't care how you do it," replied the phoenix "just separate Alexander from Ray"

"And what about the pussy?"

Kai looked down through the window as Ray came to stop in front of the huge double doors "leave Ray to me"

Bryan shrugged; if he wasn't allowed to punch Ray then he wasn't interested in reasoning with the guy, he'd leave that to Tala and Kai. The phoenix turned from the window as the long doleful bell rang out through the house; they waited for a moment, but silence answered the front door and it suddenly reminded Kai that Alexander had recently scared away the butler.

Eyes narrowing he looked back out the window with the fleeting thought that Ray might leave if no one answered; he shook this notion immediately from his head, the tiger was far too persistent to be swayed by a silent door. As if reading his thoughts the neko-jin looked up at the great darkened windows; behind him Tala said something, probably scathingly, which Ray subtly ignored. Meanwhile, becoming bored with standing at the door, Alexander began banging on it loudly, shouting.

Kai looked round to tell Bryan once more, but the falcon had already gone.

* * *

"It appears like no one's home" Tala was saying "looks like you'll have to visit another time"

Ray ignored him; he looked up at the huge windows looking out of the grounds of the manor and wondered if Kai was watching him, he knew the phoenix was in there of course. Getting Kai to open the door was always going to be a problem and Ray wasn't expecting anything less; except this time, Kai was at the disadvantage. A small smile touched Ray's lips; it had been a long time since he'd had the upper hand on Kai Hiwatari. So long as he had Alexander at his side, Kai would be forced to show his face.

As if on cue, the great double doors shifted together as the left slowly opened to reveal not the phoenix but the falcon; Ray's pursed his lips, he should have seen this coming. Apparently Alexander hadn't seen it turning out like this either; he screamed when the door opened and leapt back from banging his fist as if he'd been stung. But Bryan was faster. He grabbed Alexander by his collar and with one movement slammed the boy straight in to the door.

"You want to knock a little harder?" the falcon sneered "they don't quite hear you in Moscow"

"OWWWW!" Alexander wailed, trying to pull free "Bryan! Let me go! Ray! HELP! WHERE'S KAI!"

"Let him go!" said Ray coming in between the pair before Bryan could slam the kid against the door again "I mean it, Bryan. Let him go now!"

"Ray! Help ME!" Alexander cried, tears springing to his eyes "he won't let me go!"

"Such a cry-baby" Bryan taunted.

"Bryan, get off!" snarled Ray.

"Why should he?" snorted Tala from the steps "who died and made you leader?"

"Exactly" agreed the falcon. He glared at the tiger "Kai's not in. So. Fuck. Off"

Ray narrowed his eyes; if Lee had been around to witness this his heart would have sank five metres in to the ground and his hands would have held his head in despair. The last time Ray had made that face the whole of the White Tiger community had prayed to their gods for three days straight afterward: there were entire families that didn't walk within ten feet of the neko-jin for fear of that very expression. Of course, Bryan didn't know the past of that look featured on the tiger's face; he was, however, smart enough to realise that there was going to be trouble and if he didn't step out the way smartly that trouble was going to slap him straight in the face.

He faltered.

Then pulled himself together sharply; there was no way in hell that he was backing down to this pathetic mound of flesh, he'd rather pulled out all his teeth and chew a handful of needles first.

Snarling he held tighter on to Alexander.

Ray sighed, "let him go, Bryan"

"Or you'll do _what_?" sneered the falcon.

"Ray! HELP ME!" Alexander wailed, tugging desperately. He began to cry loud snotty sobs.

Bryan watched in horrified fascination as a dribble of snot trickled down Alexander's top lip and on to his hand; he pulled himself back and flung Alexander away with a growl of his disgust. Alexander fell back with a yell and careered in to Ray who had to make a quick two step to keep them both balance; he caught hold of Alexander and assured him quickly.

The boy clung to his arm desperately, howling with fear until Tala looked ready to murder "fine" he said icily "you want to see Kai, be my guest" he smirked "but don't expect anything great from him, you'll be sadly disappointed"

"We'll just see about that" Ray muttered in response. He turned back to look expectantly at Bryan and gazed at him with huge golden eyes.

Bryan snorted "whatever" he shrugged disinterestedly "he was going to deal with you anyway" he snapped his gaze back to Alexander "but the brat's mine"

Alexander screamed in terror "NO! I don't want to go!"

Ray's eyes flashed, "what are you going to do with him?"

"Torture. Electrocution. Maybe sacrifice him to the odd old heathen god" Bryan suggested casually "I'll think of something"

"N-NO!" Alexander turned back to Ray plaintively "p-please, Ray! I d-don't want to be sac-sacrificed"

"You realise he wasn't be serious, right?" asked Tala scathingly.

"Yeah, your snot's not worth it" Bryan agreed.

Alexander only yowled harder, weeping openly in to Ray's sleeve.

"Alexander stays with me" said Ray firmly "in fact" he added almost as an afterthought "I think it be a better idea if he didn't see you two anymore at all. Maybe I should take him back to Tyson's instead, we'll look after him far better than you two ever could"

Up until now Tala had been fairly calm and composed but his face darkened in a matter of seconds and he snarled so hard that Alexander gripped on to Ray tighter "don't you dare!" the wolf growled, "you think I'm just going to let you-"

He stopped abruptly when the tiger smiled knowingly.

"I thought that might shake you up a bit," said the neko-jin, he gave the pair of beybladers a shrewd look "now, why don't we stop playing these games and start acting a little more appropriately to our age?"

"I don't believe there's anything to talk about"

The door opened further and Kai stepped out from behind Bryan; immediately Alexander tore himself from Ray and with a yell of delight threw himself at Kai. The phoenix took one step back and the boy fell awkwardly at his feet; Kai paid this no heed, however, and only kept his gazed fixed on Ray. The neko-jin looked back calmly; he didn't know exactly how Kai planned to get rid of him, but there would be some barbs Ray was determined to get in before Kai froze up on him.

"Kai! Guess what!" Alexander gabbled as he scrambled up from the ground; he'd grazed the ball of his hand in the fall and one knee looked bloody, but this was all unimportant in the sight of Kai who he now cheered at all hints of tears vanished "Ray's gonna play hide and seek with me!"

"Games will have to wait" Kai replied shortly "Ray and I have some important to discuss"

"Damn right we do" Ray affirmed "are we going to talk it on the doorstep or are you going to let me in?"

"The doorstep is just fine" Tala jeered snidely.

"No" Kai stepped back from the door and gave room for Ray to walk in "follow me"

Tala's eyes narrowed first with surprise and then suspicion; he watched as the neko-jin stepped in through the door passed a befuddled falcon and disappeared in to the entrance hall after the phoenix with Alexander bouncing round the pair of them ecstatic that Kai had asked Ray to stay for a while – that was how he saw it anyhow. The wolf and falcon looked at each other, Bryan's face one of bemusement while Tala's suspicion only grew further: Kai wasn't acting in the way the redhead had been expecting him to.

* * *

"It's time for you to leave" said Kai simply.

At first Ray assumed it was he these six words were aimed at but when Alexander pouted and moaned loudly it was the latter Kai was apparently talking to. The boy wailed in protests and waved his arms around like a tree as if this would sway Kai from making his decision to keep Alexander from the conversation; this had very little effect on Kai however, he stared at Alexander for a moment, then turned away to the window and waited without comment.

Alexander sighed loudly and claimed that Kai wasn't being fair; when this still made no difference, the kid scowled in defeat, then turned on Ray and grabbed his arm in a deathly grip "you'll come and play games after, right?"

Ray smiled "of course I will. Just wait a while, ok?"

Alexander saluted "ok!"

He whooped happily and ran from the room, crashing almost head first in to Tala who had been doing the rather childish thing of trying to listen in through the door; Ray lifted his dark eyebrows at the wolf who held on to his composure and retreated with a wordless glare.

"You barely get a moment to yourself around here" Ray commented "no wonder you're always trying to find solace at Tyson's place" he gave this a second's contemplation "mind you" he added as an afterthought "you don't get much peace there either"

The phoenix turned from the window.

Ray smiled fondly "poor Kai"

"Enough" crimson eyes lifted to Ray and held him there "just what exactly do you think you're doing?"

"I'm doing a lot of things, Kai, you'll have to elaborate"

"Don't play games. You know what I'm talking about" Kai's eyes narrowed "I told you not to get involved with Alexander"

"And you expected me to listen?" asked Ray eyebrows lifting in genuine surprise "I thought you knew better than that"

"I assumed you'd respect my privacy"

"Kai, the guy tried to _kill_ me, I think I've earned the right to be a little nosy" the tiger retorted "besides, Alexander came to find me, I think that show he wants to meet me don't you think?"

"What Alexander wants doesn't come in to it" Kai replied sharply "I told you not to get involved"

"You really think that's gonna sway Alexander…or me come to that matter" Ray folded his arms "I'm not walking away from this, Kai, like or not I'm involved because Alexander wants to know me"

"I can control Alexander"

"Are you sure? Because you don't seem to be doing a very good job"

Kai's eyes narrowed dangerously but Ray wasn't biting.

"Don't look at me like that, Alexander was wandering around Tyson's house. He came in to the kitchen, destroyed Kenny's laptop and Max's beyblade and trashed the kitchen. If I hadn't come out to face there's no telling what he would have done next. You really _trying_ to tell me you have him under control"

"Everything was working out as planned"

"Planned huh? You mean you planned Alexander to come to Tyson's house and start trashing things?" Ray tilted his head expectantly; now that he thought about it he was angry with Kai for letting things get this far. If the phoenix hadn't brought Alexander to Japan or if he'd handled the situation another way then the neko-jin was pretty sure he wouldn't have been smashed over the head with his own frying pan. The worst part was that underneath his crabbiness he was actually feeling a little worried; this was Kai Hiwatari – that meant something. It meant that Kai never lost control or ran around in circles trying to keep in rule over the situation. And the drinking: that bothered Ray too. Something was wrong and instead of asking for help, Kai was doing the age-old trick of pushing him away.

Except this time, Ray wasn't sure what would happen if he stopped pushing and walked away like the phoenix wanted.

Would Kai break?

No, that wasn't possible. Ray wouldn't live to see that day happen.

Kai was silent; his main concern right now was to get Ray away from Alexander, but now that the bond had been cemented it wasn't going to be broken easily. Ray had seen how Bryan and Tala treated the kid; the tiger had too much goodness to walk away from such cruelty Kai knew. And his loyalty to Kai would make him to blind to all the phoenix's proposals. The problem was Kai didn't know enough about the circumstances to take the next step; Alexander's madness swung back and forth on a day to day basis, there was no way anyone could predict his next mood. He could want to be Ray's friend one day and feel the urge to kill the next. Without a real prediction on what could happen Kai couldn't take a step forward in any direction with certainty that Ray would be safe. He was at an impasse and it wasn't a feeling he was used to.

"Let me help"

Ray stepped forwards to the phoenix looking at him with intense golden eyes.

Kai lifted an eyebrow; that statement didn't even deserve an answer.

"I'm serious" the tiger persisted "Alexander isn't going to let me go, you know that. I don't know why he's so fixated on me, but until I know the reason the only option possible is to become his friend"

"That's not happening" said Kai shortly.

"You sure you can stop it?" Ray blew a few strands of raven hair from his face "you sure Alexander will that happen? I'm not. I think if you try to prevent him then he's just going to rebel like and kid would"

"And you believe becoming his friend is the answer? His mood changes at the flick of a switch"

"True" the tiger conceded "but maybe a friend is what he needs, it might help him"

Kai's eyebrow of scepticism said it all.

"Look, I've seen how Bryan and Tala treat him" Ray pointed out "it's disgraceful, more than that it's cruel. And Kai, you're my friend, but we both know you're more likely to put on a clown's outfit than be a good guardian to a kid"

"And you think you can do a better job?"

"At least I'll play hide and seek with him, I'll never hurt him either. No matter what he does he'll learn that I'll always be his friend"

"You don't know what he's capable of"

"Neither do you" the tiger replied "for all you know he could be capable of great friendship. Maybe a little kindness will settle his mind more, I'm pretty sure it'll have more of an effect than Tala kicking him the crap out of him"

"You're not doing this" Kai answered coldly "you're walking straight in to the lion's mouth"

"You're trying to protect me, I understand that" Ray sighed and decided to throw caution in to the wind "but Kai, I think it's you who needs protecting"

Now if that wasn't a serious dent in Kai's pride Ray didn't know what was.

But he continued before Kai could make comment "don't you see what this is doing to you? The drinking, the way you always come crawling back to Tyson's place – to the Bladebreakers – to escape Alexander for a little while. Looking after Alexander is killing you inside"

"I thank you for your confidence"

"Don't be like that. It isn't a criticism; you're as strong as I've always believed you to be" Ray took another step forwards, almost shyly he lifted his eyes to Kai's "but you can't do this alone, and Bryan and Tala resent even being here"

"They serve my purpose"

"For how long? Are they aware what this is doing to you? Do they even care?" the neko-jin asked, "I've seen Tala, he doesn't give a damn about Alexander, and Bryan does whatever Tala wants him to do. One day they're going to snap and walk away from this, and then it'll just be you and Alexander"

"That's nothing I couldn't handle"

Ray sighed in frustration "Kai, you'd go mad! There's no way you wouldn't"

"You know my past, I think I'm –"

"Exactly" the tiger interrupted "it's because of your past that you have no experience with this kinda thing. Boris taught you to be soldiers, not parents" Kai said nothing and Ray lifted his eyebrows questioningly "maybe I'm wrong? Boris set up his own kid day-care, did he? Did he pay you all to be babysitters or did you volunteer?"

The phoenix turned away again, arms folded "I'm aware that you're a friend, Ray, that's why I trust your offer of help. But Alexander's real personality is nothing like the kid you've seen so far, he's twisted and I'm not going to stand by while you pave the road with good intentions"

"I'm not taking no for an answer" Ray caught Kai's arm and forced the phoenix to look at him "I can see what this is doing to you even if no one else can" his jaw hardened "you think I'm just gonna walk away from that without looking back? It's not gonna happen, I won't let it"

"Your help won't work. What exactly are you hoping to achieve? Do you think Alexander will suddenly transform in to a well balanced pleasant young man?"

"I give a give damn what happens to Alexander" growled Ray fiercely, his quick snarl taking Kai by surprise "you're the reason I'm here, you're going crazy and I won't let that happen. If being Alexander's friend stops me from getting killed and you from losing your senses then so be it"

He stared resolutely at the phoenix.

"Get used to it, Kai," he said in a hard voice "I've just become Alexander's best friend"

* * *

Ok so I know I've been promising yaoi-ness and I haven't lived up to it yet. But I promise you it will start in the next chapter, this one is like a prelude or whatever the word is.

Please leave a review.

Thanks for reading!

Kiki

Kizzes!


	12. Paved With Good Intentions

HEY THERE! Yeah, another chapter, woo!

WARNINGS: Crazy children. Spelling errors or the like - maybe. Yaoi-ish-ness - that is So my new word.

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade, nor any of its characters.

Last Time: Ray was starting on a dangerous road of becoming Alexander's new best friend in an attempt to keep himself and the Bladebreakers safe. Tala is against the idea. Kai is against the idea. And Bryan just doesn't give a fuck.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Breathless**

**Chapter Twelve: Paved With Good Intentions **

"Ray! Ray! Where are you! Come and find me!"

Alexander's voice echoed through the Manor and the sound of a door slamming followed it giving a clear indication of where he was in relation to the neko-jin; it would have been obvious to Ray even if Alexander hadn't just ran right in front of him, waved excitedly and pointed to the room in which he would be hiding.

Playing hide and seek with Alexander was not something Ray had ever actually experience before; Alexander seemed to under the impression that the one hiding was supposed to tell everyone where he was planning to hide before running off to hide. The catch was, that when one found him so quickly, he got upset and put the blame on the one in search: the word cheater seemed to a favourite phrase of his. Not that Ray had any real problem with this; he was more than happy to play dumb and wait ten minutes before locating the boy as if he'd spent all that time in search. It was the staring that got to the neko-jin.

Ray would be wandering round the place, walking through rooms pretending to be in search of Alexander and examining the fine architecture of the huge building; he'd walk out of a room to look in another and he'd hear hurried footsteps behind him. Once or twice he'd even looked round in time to see Alexander duck behind a wall or a futon. And he could _feel_ Alexander watching him.

At first he'd simply thought it was just his nerves on edge, keeping him on his toes because of who Alexander was and where he'd come from. But it became more than that; sometimes he'd hear Alexander's breathing coming from under a table, or from behind a curtain miles away from the room he wanted to be found in. The breaths were gassy, broken, as if excited.

And then there were the odd slightly strange incidents.

Like the wire that had been pulled up from between the floorboards just at the right place to send Ray flying down the three flights of stairs to the basement – if his neko-jin eyes hadn't spotted it. Or the heavy iron cast chandelier that had fallen at the very same moment Ray had passed under it.

Coincidence?

Ray would have like to think so. But he wasn't stupid.

He entered the kitchen with the slight feeling that he was really asking for it; if there was a death trap waiting for him it would be the kitchen, what with all of its knives, forks and other assorted sharp instruments that made the cotton of his clothes feel very thin and flimsy. Bare flesh was no shield against hard steel; on the other hand if he didn't look in the kitchen in search of the boy at least once then Alexander would be bound to notice at some stage. The kid was crazy, not stupid.

However, when the neko-jin entered the kitchen he found not as empty as he'd expected it to be.

"An odd place to carry out your business, isn't it?" he asked as he shut the door behind and carefully eyed the various large kitchen knives that could be waiting for him.

Kai looked up from the papers he'd been perusing word-by-word "this coming from someone playing a dangerous game of hide and seek"

"Who says it's dangerous?"

"So Alexander hasn't tried to kill you yet?"

"Not in so many words" Ray reasoned slowly, not quite meeting Kai's gaze "I'm in control"

"Is that so?" the phoenix replied returning to his work "I have to say I'm disappointed in you"

"That's an odd thing to say," said Ray, surprised "you haven't said anything like that since our first championship together"

Kai ignored this comment and instead elaborated on his own statement "you know where Alexander comes from, you know both Bryan and Tala as well what they're capable of"

"Your point?"

"My point is that if you really think you're in control then you're not the person I've come to believe you are"

Ray rolled his eyes at this and shook his head; with a sigh he walked over to the large table where Kai sat and took a chair opposite the phoenix "promise me something"

"What would that be?" Kai idly turned from one sheet to another.

"Don't ever become a parent"

The Russian looked up to find the tiger smiling with some secret amusement "meaning?"

"Meaning you sure as hell wouldn't last five minutes," the neko-jin answered with a chuckle "you just don't get it, do you? I mean, it's far from your fault, but you just don't understand what Alexander is really about"

Kai's eyes narrowed.

"Hear me out" Ray added quickly "before you go releasing one of those whiplash comments of yours"

The phoenix didn't answer.

Taking this as a sign Ray continued, "the only thing Alexander is doing is being a child. A crazy, exaggerated child admittedly, but he's a kid nonetheless. He wants to play games, go to the zoo, go to birthday parties, everything your average normal un-crazy kid wants to do. It's the same kinda thing Daichi wants to do. Hell, it's the same damn thing _Tyson_ wants to do"

"I don't remember Daichi ever trying to kill someone during a game of hide and seek"

"Yeah, well that's Alexander's past haunting him. Whether I'm eager to play games with him or not, it doesn't change the fact that I'm still a threat to him when it comes to you" Ray smiled "you're his idol, his parent, his friend. It's perfectly normal to feel jealous when someone else comes in to the picture, that's why it's important that Alexander sees that I'm not a threat at all"

"And playing hide and seek will achieve that?"

"Nothing will have an immediate effect" Ray admitted reasonably "but it beats living in hiding trying not to get killed by him, or walking away from you and not being your friend anymore" he shook his head slowly "not being your friend is just something I'm not prepared to try"

Golden eyes glanced up at crimson.

"I have to say though" the neko-jin finished almost in a careful voice "I'm surprised you haven't suggested us having no connection at all, I would have thought that would have been your first idea, it would certainly be the easiest"

"It had crossed my mind"

"It has? You haven't said anything"

There was a pause; the phoenix looked from his friend back to papers in front of him "I'll admit that in the years we've known each other you've come to know me better than most" he answered impassively "but that is a two way street, and I'll take credit for knowing you just as well as you know me. There's no chance you'd accept the idea of going separate ways even for a moment"

"I notice there's no mention of you actually liking my friendship" said Ray smarting a little, but not feeling in the least surprised by Kai's answer "though with all the times you've tried to deny all connection to the Bladebreakers I suppose that's a little too much to ask of you"

"Tyson once said being a part of the Bladebreakers was similar to a brick wall, enduring and rock solid" Kai replied "not a bad analogy considering it came from him" he changed to another sheet of paper "either way, there's nothing to say I actually have any fondness of being part of that brick wall"

"Less of the symbolisms, it doesn't suit you" Ray found himself smiling in defeat "but I guess I wouldn't have you any other way"

Kai looked up "if that's the case then why do you keep insisting I should be more polite?"

"Come on, a little politeness every now and then won't kill you" the neko-jin retorted "besides, what you said to that reporter was just downright rude"

"I still maintain he had it coming"

"Give the guy a break, it's his job to ask questions. The fans want to know the person behind the beyblade, you should know that by now"

"Even after all this time I fail to understand why"

"It's all your fan-girls I feel sorry for" Ray rested his head in his hands "all those girls secretly dreaming you'll charge in to their lives and sweep them away, if only they knew the truth"

"Idolism is a useless emotion"

Ray chuckled-

"RAY! RAY! WHERE ARE YOU! WHY AREN'T YOU FINDING ME!"

Ray jolted and looked up at the clock quickly; he'd spent the majority of his ten minutes talking to Kai, rather than looking for Alexander and avoiding any semi-prepared death traps. Sighing quietly he got up from the table and walked to the door feeling rather let down that there hadn't been anything deadly waiting for him in the kitchen; it suddenly occurred to him that the reason for that could have been Kai, maybe the phoenix had been there to make sure Alexander hadn't hotwired the cooker to explode.

Ray smiled to himself and left the kitchen behind thinking about his own words; he certainly was a threat to the relationship between Alexander and Kai, and with the feelings he harboured for Kai always in the way he wasn't completely sure that anything would save him from Alexander's killer notions. It was clear to anyone who noticed the way Ray looked at the phoenix, and Alexander would see it for sure.

Ray stopped and pressed his hand to wall firmly; there was no point in thinking like that, no point in thinking _of_ that. What passed through his mind when he thought of Kai was something dark and shameful, it wasn't something he should think of.

* * *

"You know, I keep expecting some diabolical plan to emerge from this catastrophe, some hidden clue to reveal itself and explain to me why you've allowed this fool's game to continue like you have" Tala was stood by the window gazing out at the grounds as the rain clouds rolled in ominously "but the more I watch the more I realise that there is no plan, except for the stupid notion Ray Kon has concocted"

"I take it you're against Ray becoming friends with Alexander" replied Kai from where he sat at the dining room table gazing steadily at a glass of whisky.

"I would have thought you were more against it than I was" the wolf said watching as Alexander ran from one side of the lawn to the other, dashing in between the bushes and shouting so loud his voice echoed from tree to tree "for obvious reasons"

"There's a chance it might not come to that"

"Oh please" Tala snorted "you know damn well it'll come to that, Ray Kon hasn't any idea what Alexander is capable of, you really think he's going to want to stick around once he finds out the truth"

"Ray is a lot of things, but a coward is not one of them"

"My-my, that's almost a compliment, Captain Kai" Tala turned slowly from the window and stared down his nose at the phoenix; his eyes narrowed and he walked sedately from the window to a chair on Kai's left. Sitting down he took an empty glass and filled it "why are you allowing this to continue? Surely you can't be expecting Ray to change Alexander in ways we could never imagine, the dude isn't a saint no matter what you might think"

"I don't believe Ray will change Alexander in the slightest"

"Then you have no reason for Ray to stick around…do you?" Tala watched the phoenix for a moment, taking in the blank poker face the silent Russian kept. Tala's blue eyes narrowed coldly; this wasn't the behaviour he'd been expecting. Kai's silence wasn't news to him; Tala would have been more surprised if the phoenix had organized an entire speech. But none of it was adding up; Alexander was dangerous, Ray just hadn't yet seen how dangerous, the neko-jin's life was in constant danger if he stayed around. Kai knew this. That was the exact reason he'd been focussed on keeping the Bladebreakers and Alexander so separate.

But then why did he keep returning to his old team?

Why was he letting Ray hang around like this?

Rain started to spatter against the huge panes of glass towering up above them; it smacked against the smooth unresisting surface with little slaps that filled the silence of the room and gave it an even deeper sombre mood. The little growling suspicions grumbling their existence in the back of Tala's head gave his skull a tiny scratch as if to remind him they were there.

"You know, the best and easiest thing to do would be to move back to Russia and break off all connection to the Bladebreakers" he said watching for every minuscule reaction Kai didn't want him to see.

Crimson eyes flickered up for the briefest of moments; it was as if Tala had been talking with Ray, or maybe he'd simply overheard what the tiger had said down in the kitchen. One never quite knew with the wolf. Other than giving the redhead a fleeting look Kai said nothing; he wasn't entirely sure what he could say, he certainly didn't want Tala digging any further in to his thoughts but making the wolf back away was a difficult task even for Kai Hiwatari to achieve.

"So why don't you?" asked Tala sharply. He lent forwards on the table "let's leave. Go back to Moscow, everything was under control there"

"You call allowing Alexander to burn down the arena down under control?"

"At least it let him vent some of his energy, he slept for three days afterward"

Kai leant back in his chair "that stadium had no less than twelve thousand people in it, I don't expect you to feel compassion for those people but you must be able to understand the situation should my grandfather discover Alexander's existence"

Tala rolled his eyes "we have to keep a low profile, I get that of course. But as far as I'm concerned that's exactly what we were doing"

Kai blinked "how exactly is burning down an arena containing twelve thousand people keeping a low profile?"

The wolf scowled, he hated it when other people were right "you managed to keep a lid on it" he answered sulkily.

"Barely. Even I have a limit on the power I hold over the Moscow officials" Kai's eyes narrowed "it was fortunate that the majority of them believe my grandfather to be a tyrant so they were willing to keep silent about the culprit of the incident. We were lucky no one was hurt in the fire"

The rain came down harder now; like a waterfall coming down from the skies above with no sign of easing any time soon. From somewhere in the manor they heard Alexander scream, a sound so long and terrible it was as if someone had been murdered before his very eyes.

In actual fact, Bryan had just scared him with a spider.

"Nevertheless, I still believe the best thing to do would be to return to Russia" the wolf maintained stubbornly; he was testing Kai, pushing it harder than he normally would have done. He wanted Kai to say; he wanted the phoenix to admit it out loud.

"Returning to Russia would not necessarily be the easiest course of action"

Tala's jaw tensed in annoyance "you can't honestly think staying here in Japan where Alexander is a breath away from murdering your entire beyblading team is easier than moving back to Russia where we can keep an eye on him without the _Bladebreakers_ interfering" Tala gave the phoenix a very hard stare "unless…you want to stay of course"

Kai said nothing.

"You keep coming back here" the redhead persisted "even when we had Alexander locked up in Russia you kept coming back to Japan to see the Bladebreakers"

"To keep up appearance only, if I'd suddenly disappeared without a word the Bladebreakers would have stopped at nothing to find me" Kai replied, "that's just the kind of people they are"

"Don't lie to me!" Tala snapped losing his patience "I know damn what Ray know-it-all Kon thinks!"

"And what does Ray think?" asked Kai emotionless.

"That you keep returning to the Bladebreakers to escape Alexander, because there's only so much of Alexander you can stand, because you want to be with them more than anything"

"That's not true"

"Really? Prove it" the wolf challenged "lets pack up right now, return to Russia and never come to Japan again"

There was silence filled only by the rain beating hard against the glass; someway over the city lighting flickered, flashing through the sky in the blink of an eye, so quick it was gone before it was seen. Seconds later the thunder rolled in as if an afterthought; Tala glared, his temper rising with every breath Kai didn't answer his demand.

Kai sat silent; he wasn't looking at Tala but it was difficult to determine where it was he was gazing, it took the wolf back to the days he'd see the phoenix leaning against the wall eyes closed and keeping the whole world out. His lip curled in a snarl.

There was a soft knock, and the door to the room opened carefully; pissed with the interruption Tala turned round expecting to see Bryan and ready to bark something insulting at him. But, instead of pale obedient eyes staring at him nonplussed, they were huge golden dazzling eyes and they weren't looking at him at all.

"Hey" Ray came in to the room and closed the door behind him, though he came no closer to the table where Kai and Tala sat "Alexander's asleep, he got tired at last"

Tala stared at him; even Kai looked up from where he sat. In all their time of guarding Alexander none of them had succeeding in sending him to sleep. Whenever Tala thought Alexander should sleep he simply knocked the guy out with a punch in the face.

"I'm gonna head back to Tyson's before they send out a search party for me" the tiger continued as if he hadn't noticed the conjoined stare heading his way. He tilted his head at the phoenix questioningly "are you coming?"

* * *

"I still don't see why we couldn't take the bus, a taxi even" Ray complained lightly as the rain came down on him like a blanket; he hadn't come prepared for rain and now he was completely soaked. As a neko-jin, he wasn't all together fond of rain; as a neko-jin who hated to be unprepared for the weather he liked it even less.

Kai walked on beside him with no comment; he hadn't said a word since they'd left the manor. Tala hadn't been pleased being left with Alexander to cope with but Kai was due to drop in on the Bladebreakers to stop them asking questions and in all honesty he wasn't anxious to spend a night under the same roof as an angry wolf that wanted answers Kai wasn't prepared to give.

Ray pushed back sopping wet hair from his face and glanced sideways as the person he still regarded as his team Captain; over the years the Bladebreakers had to come to read Kai's various silences to mean several different moods just like any other normal person would have. They were used to Kai standing in the background saying only what he needed and the occasional insult; it was everything they expected of him and if they were honest with themselves it gave a certain comfort. But there were other types of silences they'd all come to recognise; the time when he'd wanted to crush Brooklyn, they'd all felt the cold air floating like a solid bubble around him.

But this silence was different, Ray felt; it wasn't unkind or cold, but then it wasn't the normal relaxed silence either.

"Are you alright?"

Kai looked sideways at the neko-jin, and then directed his gaze back to the path in front of him; Ray, however, wasn't unsettled in the slightest. He stopped walking and stayed there under the rain slamming down on his head and running down his face. He was running in water; the dribbles of rain were travelling down his face, under his sodden clothes and further down his skin. He would have found the whole experience rather cold and horrid if it wasn't for the simple fact that his entire body was so numb with cold he couldn't feel anything from the neck down.

Kai stopped a few steps away and turned back; he looked at Ray expectantly, blinking once as if to indicate a question. Ray paused; this was hardly the time to bring it up and unless he wanted to catch his death the sooner he got indoors the better.

Even so, he had to ask.

He walked forwards slowly catching a few moments safety under the roof of a bus shelter at the side of the road; sensing this was one of Ray's _time to talk about your feelings _speeches Kai followed suit and stepped under the bus stop. Ray turned from the rain and looked at the phoenix with one of those intent gazes that worthy of any glare Kai could muster at a moment's notice.

"You know" the neko-jin said quietly, almost under the noise of the rain smacking down on the plastic covering above their heads "I heard some of what Tala said before I walked in"

Kai's eyes narrowed slightly; Ray was sneakier than the phoenix had given him credit for, the neko-jin was light on his toes that was for sure – neither Tala or Kai had felt his presence at all "it's not like you to eavesdrop" he commented.

"True" the tiger conceded "but you never tell me anything, Kai" he sighed in exasperation "getting anything out of you is like bleeding water from a stone" he shrugged "I have to find out what's really going on somehow"

"How much did you hear?"

"Not much" Ray looked back at the rain dripping heavier over the lip of the bus shelter "enough to know that Tala wants to return Russia and never see us damn Bladebreakers ever again"

"Tala's loathing of the Bladebreakers shouldn't be news to you"

"It isn't" a smile touched Ray's lips "I'm actually flattered he puts so much passion in to his hatred" he gave a small noise of laughter but the humour was already falling from his face, faster than the rain itself "but he asked – no, _told_ – you to go with him. He wants you to go back to Russia and forget all about us"

"That-"

"You're seriously going to try and deny he wants that?" Ray lifted his eyebrows.

"I was merely going to say that I gave no answer to his opinion"

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked the neko-jin "you know, you didn't answer me either when I asked you the very same thing" rain was dribbling from the strands of his hair straight in to his eyes and he blinked them away, refusing to break gaze "do you want to go back to Russia? Do you want to leave Tyson, Max and me behind and forget we ever existed? After all we've been through? Do you want me to walk away?"

"I was under the impression there's no way you'd let that happen" replied Kai.

"I won't" Ray agreed, "not unless you want me to"

Kai looked at him.

"I'll do it" the tiger repeated, "I'll walk away and never look back. You can go back to Russia and I'll make sure that no Bladebreaker talks to you ever again. But you gotta ask me first"

The connection between them was intense; Ray wasn't backing down and Kai was taking his usual stoic stand of saying nothing. Never see the Bladebreakers again; Kai believed Ray when the neko-jin said he'd make sure they never talked again. A life without the Bladebreakers…even Kai couldn't deny a life without the Bladebreakers didn't come without perks. He'd never have to put up Tyson's awful eating habits. He'd never have to deal with the copious amounts of hair dye Max left lying around. He'd never have to endure Hilary's loud screech, or Kenny's eternal technology monologue. And as for Daichi, well; living without that monkey would be nothing short of a godsend.

"Why?" he asked shortly.

Ray seemed taken aback by the question "why what?"

"Why would you do that? You were so determined earlier, and you're convinced that you're better for Alexander than I could ever be"

"That's right, I am" the neko-jin nodded "and sure, I'll do anything to keep being your friend, Kai. Even saying goodbye. I would be good for Alexander, a damn sight better than Tala or Bryan. And going back to Russia isn't good for any of you…but if that's what you really want then…" Ray hesitated and looked away for a second "…I wouldn't stop you"

"That's a lot of effort to go to for one friend"

Ray nearly laughed, suddenly feeling very stupid standing in a crappy bus shelter in the pouring rain; in truth he hadn't been expecting much of a response from the phoenix but it had to be said. He couldn't hold it in; walking away from Kai and pretending they'd never been on the same team was something he wasn't sure he'd cope with, he'd certainly struggle. He didn't like to think how the others would take it. But he'd do it; he'd keep them away, no matter what it took. But Kai had to ask that of him first. He'd only do it if Kai wanted him to. He just didn't know how to show the phoenix how much he meant it. And he was getting tired; he was becoming pissed with the showing all the emotions he had while gave nothing back.

What was it the phoenix really wanted anyway?

"Well?" asked Ray softly "what do you want me to do?"

Like every time before Kai didn't answer immediately; he made Ray wait for a minute as if the suspense would make his answer that much more important "I still don't understand why you'd go against every instinct you had on the matter just to give me what I wanted"

Ray turned away; it seemed like he was trying to fight something, trying to bury something deep down inside him. But Kai's words ran through his head again like an echo and he lost all patience. He whirled round again his brain not thinking at all; as if by itself his body moved forwards, quickly so Kai didn't have chance to react, and he pushed his mouth to Kai's.

Kai's skin was cold from the rain, just like Ray's. But it was as if electricity crackled through his fingers as he reached up to touch Kai's face. His heart was thumping so hard he could feel it through his chest. His head was numb like the rest of his body, but his fingers were hot against Kai's skin, just like his lips were more alive than the rest of him. And now he rested them against Kai's mouth; he wasn't sure what else to do.

* * *

My goodness...was that ACTUALLY yoai? The smallest of hints of yaoi? The mind boggles. It's only taken like TWELVE frigging chapters!

I do hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Next Time: More problems start piling up, ones that don't begin with an Alexander and could turn out to be the end of the Bladebreakers. Plus...Ray refuses to face up to what he did.

Please leave a review.

Thanks for reading!

Kiki

Kizzes!


	13. In The Blink Of An Eye

**Review Replies  
**Darling: Thanks for your review! Yeah, it did take a while, didn't it? Probably longer than any of my other stories. Still, I make up for that in THIS chapter, lol! Nothing too graphic, it is rated T. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

SO...here it is. The BIG one.

Actually this chapter isn't actually any bigger or longer than any of the other chapters. But it's a turning point nontheless. For more than one reason. Thinking about it every scene is pratically a turning point and change for the characters. I'm actually rather pleased though it was a bitch to write. That probably had something to do with my writer's block rather than the actual drama.

But pay attention to the WARNINGS.

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade, nor any of its characters.

WARNINGS: Bad language. Tame Yaoi scene. Animal cruelty which I do NOT agree with in any sense. Anyone who does needs their heads checking.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Breathless**

**Chapter Thirteen: In The Blink Of An Eye**

Disasters came in all shapes and sizes. No one could deny that. One man's disaster was another man's joy. The same comparison could be made when considering a place one thought safe. For some hiding in a bedroom seemed cowardly while others regarded it as a safe haven when the world got too much to handle. The same could be said for the sitting room, the garden or an empty space on top of a mountain. These were examples of fine places to find solace, but they did nothing for Tyson.

No, he preferred the kitchen. When he was down, or wrecked about something, the kitchen was his default place to go. A place of comfort, where the only thing that could bring him pain was the stomach ache he'd get later on after consuming half a chicken, a full bowl of pasta, four slabs of cheese and three tubs of ice-cream.

The brain-freeze alone would be immense.

Still, anything was better than feeling miserable, right? The whole world would agree with him on that one.

Not that food seemed to be doing the trick. Tyson still felt miserable and now, after sitting at the same table for three hours, he couldn't explain why. Part of him felt like a fool. It was just a crush after all.

But Max could have had the decency to tell him…

Or at least given Tyson a clue.

The door to the kitchen slid open and Ray stepped in to the room, just fresh from a long hot shower. Here was another soul seeking comfort; only to search for his consolation Ray had to use the shower to wash away the dirt. Because he was dirty. He stopped in surprise when he spotted Tyson slumped at the table looking a little ill with an empty ice-cream tub and a spoon.

"Tyson?" the neko-jin prodded his shoulder "hey, what's up?"

"Ngnn…" was the reply.

Ray inspected the empty tub next to Tyson's hand thoughtfully and then asked, "how much have you eaten?"

"Mmph, enough to give me brain freeze for a month…" the dragon mumbled. He hiccupped, and then belched.

Sighing lightly, but privately glad of something to occupy his mind, Ray opened a cupboard and pulled out the first aid box; searching through he pulled out some painkillers, and stomach settlers, which he then threw on to the table. He then filled a glass with water and popped out a pill from each.

"Here, these should help"

"…Thanks…" lifting his head up Tyson took the glass and swallowed the tablets down.

"So, what's eating you?" asked Ray, taking a seat by his friend and helping himself to a slice of bread Tyson had been planning to eat before his body gave out on him.

"It's more a case of what I'm eating…" answered the dragon, slamming his head back against the table "by the way, I'd stay clear of the cheese if I were you"

Ray lifted his eyebrows "I thought the cheese was out of date"

"That's why you shouldn't eat any of it"

"Wow, something is bothering you" Ray realised "what could possible make you desperate enough to eat mouldy cheese?"

Tyson was silent for a moment, watching Ray eat the bread and wondering if he should warn the tiger that the bread had passed its sell-by date too. In the end he didn't bother, if Ray wanted to eat old bread then who was Tyson to stop him? Instead he sighed sadly and asked slowly "did you know? About Max and Hilary I mean?"

Ray stopped chewing and glanced sideways at his friend "…um"

"I'll take that as a yes" Tyson scowled at him "thanks a lot for the heads up"

"Look, Tyson, I'm sorry I didn't-"

"Forget it" the dragon turned to rest his forehead against the table "it's not like it's your fault"

"How did you find out?"

"I walked in on them, didn't I?"

"Walked in on them? You mean…"

"They were in the middle of performing an act of passionate romance, yes"

"…Oh" Ray winced. Performing an act of passionate romance was not something he wanted to consider at this moment. He didn't want to think about passion in any sense of the word.

"You know what really gets me?" Tyson said to the table sadly "it's not that Hilary started dating a guy, and that guy was Max. It's not even about Max knowing I was into Hilary and then taking her for himself…I just wished he'd told me, you know. I thought we were closer than that"

"He probably just didn't want to hurt your feelings" Ray suggested, "he knows how you feel about her"

"If he didn't want to hurt my feelings then he should have taken more care about choosing the places in which they did it" Tyson replied sourly "his room is a place I don't go in to much, but the sitting room is another matter" he clenched his fists "it's _my_ sitting room, dammit!"

Ray had to admit he was surprised by this; Max would be aware of what he was doing, he'd know that if Tyson found out he'd hurt his friend. Max was still the kind hearted sensitive kid they'd met those years ago, even if he was more popular with girls now. He'd feel bad about having sex with Hilary in the sitting room; it would be another knife in Tyson's back.

If Ray thought about it, the choice of room sounded more like Hilary's idea than Max's, though he was pretty sure she hadn't meant anything cruel by it. How was she to know Tyson had a thing for her?

And thinking along those lines, how could he have done that to Kai?

Suddenly Ray's gaze dropped and eating himself in to oblivion didn't seem such a bad idea. He could see the attraction, making himself sick appealed to him far greater than confronting what he'd done. He'd forced himself on the phoenix; such a terrible thing to do. He could barely believe what he'd done.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" asked Tyson noticing the sadness on the neko-jin's face "you look as bad as I feel. Where have you been anyway? We haven't seen you since Kenny called me to say someone had trashed the kitchen"

"I went to find out who had done it"

"And what if they'd been some machine-gun swinging maniac with a vile hatred for the Bladebreakers? Seriously, Ray, it was hardly a smart move"

"Maybe" the tiger admitted "but it doesn't matter, whoever it was slipped away. I couldn't find them" he felt bad for lying, but this was to protect the Bladebreakers, not to hurt them.

"You couldn't find them? That's not like you, what happened to be an expert at tracking?"

"I guess they were better" Ray shrugged "how's Kenny anyway? He was pretty freaked when I left"

"He'll live, he's sworn not to leave his room until Draciel is as good as new"

"And Daichi?"

"Like anything could scare that idiot"

Max and Hilary were clearly unshaken from the intrusion, but Ray felt it unnecessary to voice this. However, even if he'd wanted to, the neko-jin never got the chance to. The door leading out opened slowly and from the pouring rain stepped a shadowed figure dripping wet and leaving small puddles as he stood there watching the occupants of the kitchen.

Tyson whistled "wow, Kai, you look like you got the waterfalls of Niagara pouring off you"

The phoenix said nothing and shut the door behind him.

"Hey, you hear about the freak who trashed the kitchen?" the dragon continued "look at the place now, you wouldn't know it" he grinned "clean it all myself!"

If Kai had any interest in this topic of conversation he didn't show it; instead he slipped out of his sodden jacket and hung it on the rack "how was the interview?"

Tyson looked surprised that Kai was even aware that such a thing had taken place but answered anyway "it was good. They wanted to know what the Bladebreakers were up to now they'd retired. You know, if you're so interested why didn't you come with me? You were invited"

Kai looked at him.

"Sheesh, sorry for asking," grumbled the dragon "you're the one that asked in the first place. I don't even know why they bothered to invite you in the first place. The whole world knows you'd never accept, right, Ray? …" Tyson looked up "Ray?"

The neko-jin was already leaving the kitchen.

* * *

Ray crashed in to his room like a child running from a scary man; he slammed the door behind him and pressed himself against it, closing his eyes to escape the world. But the dark behind his eyes was worse; Kai's face floated to the front of his head and that expression nearly killed the neko-jin right there. How could he have done that? Their friendship had been fine; it had been all the tiger needed to keep going. Now he'd ruined it all. He could never be Kai's friend again.

Slowly he moved from the door and sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at his hands as if they'd give him the answer to a question he was scared to ask. What did he do now? The right thing of course would be to leave, get as far away from Kai as he possible could. But was that fair? Surely Kai deserved a reason for why Ray had sullied him in such a way. The tiger lifted his hands and covered his face in shame. He knew he should give Kai a reason.

But he wasn't sure he had the strength to face the phoenix again, let alone explain away why he'd kissed him.

He jumped when the door slid open and he looked up quickly, registering seconds later that it was Kai standing in the doorway. Of course it was, the phoenix was his roommate after all. Numbly, Ray stood from the bed. There was silence, louder than any scream.

"Sorry…" said the neko-jin through dry lips "you'll want to change after getting so drenched"

He moved to the door.

"I'll leave you to it"

Kai didn't move.

Ray stood feet away from him, eyes cast down hard. He couldn't look at Kai; he didn't want to face the look of…what? Disgust? Anger? Repulsion? How did Kai feel about being forced upon like that?

He felt he should speak. Say something. _Anything_. But he didn't know what to say. He felt guilty, ashamed of what he'd done. How did he relay that in words to make Kai understand? Should he simply blow the whole subject off? Pretend it never happened? No, that was a stupid idea. There was no chance of that happening.

"Um, you should probably get in to some dry clothes" the tiger mumbled when the silence had gone on too long "before you catch a cold"

"I think I could probably handle a little rain"

"Yes" Ray's voice sounded so small, even to himself "sorry"

Another pause.

Ray had taken all he could; he looked up quickly "Kai, about before! I'm really-"

He froze mid-sentence; the phoenix looked back at him with an expressionless face, waiting for him to finish whatever it was he'd started. Ray's eyes were wide as saucers; he looked so desperate and forlorn. But at the same time there was a feeling of hopelessness in his eyes. Like he'd given up before he'd started.

Except, Ray never gave up like that.

The neko-jin's shoulders dropped and he sighed. But whatever it was that had scared seemed to have come under his control; because when he spoke again his voice was a good deal calmer "I just wanted to say I was sorry…"

"What for?"

Ray blinked "what do you mean? You know what for?"

Kai gazed at him for a moment, his hair still plastered with rain "as far as I'm aware you haven't done anything that warrants an apology"

Now the tiger stared at him harder, he frowned "are you being sarcastic right now?"

The phoenix lifted an eyebrow.

"Well, do you have brain damage?" Ray asked genuinely confused.

"Nothing has happened that would lead me to consider the option"

Ray couldn't understand it. Was Kai trying to play some trick? Could he have honestly forgotten? Had something terrible happened after Ray had fled that had caused this memory loss? No, that wasn't possible. Ray's gaze turned fierce "don't give me that!" he clenched his fist "you can't expect me to believe that! How could you not know what I'm talking about! There's no way you could forget what I did! …To you"

"Are you talking about kissing me?"

Ray froze to the spot, the words dying in his throat "I…"

"I'll take that as a yes" the phoenix stepped further in to the room and slid the door shut behind him; for a moment he regarded the neko-jin who had turned white "you seemed to be expecting some kind of remonstration" he commented.

The golden eyes lowered to the floor "I deserve it, don't I? After what I did. I kissed you, Kai, I shouldn't have done that"

A pause filled the room "why not?"

Ray's head shot up, "what do you mean? Aren't you angry?"

"I was under the impression that the action of kissing was not a reason for anger, quite the opposite in fact"

"Sure!" Ray agreed, "if this was a normal situation"

"And what would you class as a normal situation?"

"Don't play games with me!" the tiger snapped, "you know damn well what I mean! I'm a boy, Kai!"

The phoenix sighed lightly "after years of travelling and living with the Bladebreakers I have come to the conclusion that, with the exception of Hilary, all the members are in fact male"

Ray's fist tightened; he didn't appreciate Kai's flippancy at a time like this. But even as he opened his mouth a thought suddenly suggested itself to him. Why was Kai being so…clinical about this? Maybe it was because he didn't care, but it was probably more likely that he didn't know. Boris had raised Kai; the man had taught the children of the Abbey many things. But emotions, interactions with other people hadn't been one of them. Had Kai…

Had Kai even been kissed before now?

What about Tala and Bryan? Neither of them was particularly in tune with their emotions. The same could be said for Kai. Did any of them know? Had they ever thought about it? All of a sudden Ray didn't think so. It occurred to him that maybe Kai wasn't angry because he didn't know he had anything to be angry about. Now the neko-jin looked back up.

"Kai, what do you know about kissing?"

"That it is a gesture complying with the emotions of love, or attraction," replied the phoenix, his eyes narrowed a little "I'm forced to admit I know little of the subject. Love being an emotion that is void and useless in battle I paid very little attention to it"

Ray stared at him in shock. The awfulness of the truth dawned on him and made him feel sick. Not only had he pushed himself on to Kai, but the phoenix didn't even know what a terrible act it had been. All at once Ray had to get out there. He started forwards, rushing to the door "I'm sorry…I'll leave you to it-"

Kai's hand grabbed his shoulder and stopped him in his tracks.

"Kai, I-"

"I'm not as emotionally unaware as you seemed to think I am"

The neko-jin looked at him with huge eyes "what's that mean?"

"It means that Boris didn't lead us all to believe that babies were moulded from clay. I know everything I need to despite my lack of interest in the topic" Kai answered "just because I've never had a need for love or the physical effects of it doesn't mean I wasn't prepared"

"Great" the neko-jin nodded "so you know all about sex. Good for you. Knowing all that doesn't change a thing, you still don't know I've done"

"Actually I do"

"No, you don't. Kai, what you know about love happens between a man and a woman, not two men"

"If that's your opinion that it's possible I know more about the topic than you"

"That's what I was taught" Ray pulled his shoulder from Kai's grasp "my elders told me that the love between a man and his wife was the only love"

"If that's the case then why did you kiss me at all?"

Ray turned his face away "…I'm in love with you" he replied quietly, wishing the words he spoke were silent "I've tried not to, tried to fight it with everything I have, but…" he sighed; now he was talking he couldn't seem to stop "this world, it's nothing like the White Tiger Mountains. There are things a person can do in this modern world that would get them beaten to death in my village. And we're all told, not to trust this world, not to believe its lies…"

The hour was unknown to both of them, and it was unimportant at any rate; it must have been dragging on for evening time, however, as the sky was darkening and there was less light coming in through the window. The rain was still smacking the glass, but even that couldn't stop Ray talking.

"But the things I've seen, the things I've learnt. It's opened my eyes in so many ways and yet I can't tell anyone about these things because the moment I return home I'll have to forget them all" then his golden eyes returned to the phoenix "but still, knowing all that, I can't fight the way I feel about you"

He looked at Kai, his gaze intense. It was strange, but now that he was speaking out about he truly felt he felt calmer about all of it. As if he were letting it all go. The phoenix looked back; he said nothing, but then his expression gave nothing away either. In the end, it was no more than Ray had expected. Except now, he just couldn't fight himself anymore; even the voices of the White Tiger Mountains could push away what he wanted more than anything in the world.

"Well?" asked the tiger softly "what do you think now you know the truth?"

He didn't get an answer. There was nothing Kai could say in response to such a confession. He'd never been confronted with this before, unless one counted the countless fan-girls that had flung themselves at him with various pieces of underwear to show their love. But those were stupid girls with silly heads, not a teammate who had stood by him from the beginning. While he treated the fan girls with little more than contempt he knew that to treat Ray like this would be cruel, not to mention unfounded. But that left his options wide open with no way of knowing which was the correct path.

Ray smiled lightly, but there was an edge of sadness about his expression "it's alright" he whispered "I understand" he was standing so close to Kai, but there seemed a distance between them that was wider than ever before. Ray hated it, he wanted to close it; make the gap disappear and never look back. But that wasn't possible; for that to happen Kai had to feel what he felt, and the phoenix didn't "because you've no idea how to…"

There was a bridge stretching out and each was on the other side. Even Kai could recognise that. He wasn't sure what feeling he was supposed to be experiencing, or even if he was meant to feel something at all. Even so there was something there; some reaction to the fact that Ray was slipping away from him, lost in hopelessness. There was something wrong with that right there. Ray never lost hope, not even once. It was wrong, this whole scene was wrong. Kai simply didn't know the right way to rectify it.

But…maybe not all hope was lost for them. Maybe there was a way to make Kai see, _feel_ the depth of what Ray felt. Maybe it wasn't too late to save him. The neko-jin wanted to ask, wanted to know if Kai would let him teach what there was to know. But that was just much to do, there was no way he could word it correctly without the thought seem wrong and sordid. So instead Ray simply leant over, and took Kai's lips with his own. He just couldn't control himself anymore.

For a moment they were still, unmoving. Ray waited, unable to open his eyes. He'd made his move, shown Kai what he wanted to teach him. Now it was for Kai to respond. That thought seemed stranger than any that had occurred so far; Kai had never been one to respond to anything, he was always the one to initiate. Maybe this time it was different.

Because Kai was kissing back. It was slow at first, as if Kai was teaching himself. Ray came closer and lifted a hand to the phoenix's face cautiously. It was quiet and they were hesitant; Ray kept pulling back, listening to his rational and logic before he shoved it away. Then he turned his face, pressing his mouth to Kai's cheek. His body had nestled against the phoenix; the feel of another body was arousing.

The stirring in his body made Ray start a little; he was scared. This wasn't supposed to happen. He couldn't bare the idea of what his home would say to him. But this didn't stop him as he pulled back from Kai again and trailed slowly to the bed. He turned back round again and was shocked to find the phoenix right behind him. But that didn't matter. He sat down on the bed and looked up at Kai, watching as the phoenix leant down over him and pushed him down in to the bed.

He pulled Kai down further and they kissed again, this time with more fever. He couldn't hold it back anymore, it was all too much; his hand clawed in to Kai's back, the other holding on to Kai so tightly his knuckles went white. There were fingers loosening the knot of his sash and his top fell away about him.

Then Kai sank down him; Ray didn't know whether it was instinct, or a theoretical knowledge that drove the phoenix to lap his tongue against the dip of the neko-jin's stomach, but it didn't sway the moan deep in his throat. All he could think was to reach down and drag the saturated clothes from Kai's body. The buckle of his belt was pulled away and their mouths were mashed together again.

It was heated, exciting; a growing agitation and passion all mixed together. Time didn't matter. The voices of reason didn't matter. As Ray turned over on to his stomach he wasn't giving a thought to anything, only the drive to have more. Kai panted hot against his ear and there were fingers grazing down his chest. The bed started to dip under their weight; Ray twisted round to find Kai's mouth again.

Sweat made it hard to cling on and urges made it too hard to stop. There was no turning back now. Everything was different. In the blink of an eye they'd crossed a line they couldn't retreat over. But whether they wanted to, whether this was a mistake darker than they'd ever made, was something not even the perception of Kai Hiwatari could foresee.

* * *

Bryan walked through the manor with narrowed eyes; all was quiet, and undisturbed. The draping on the walls cascaded down like water; they were made of silk and the light streaming in caught them with a shine. It shimmered gently when the falcon's shoulder brushed the delicate material. On the other side of the corridor were a line of huge paintings all beautiful and yet foreboding.

There it was again. Bryan stopped and turned around. The scream was quiet, but it was a scream no less and such a terrible sound. He knew it wasn't Alexander; that boy could scream make no mistake. But his screams were loud, obnoxious and snotty. He would wail rather than scream. This scream was piecing, enough to make the falcon shiver. It was unnerving and reminded him of dark memories locked in the past.

Maybe the screaming was in his head he started to wonder as he heard it again and tried to locate it. Boris had always said Bryan would walk down the path of madness; maybe it was starting. Except that the screaming would be in his head, and this noise was outside his head. He knew that. Sometimes he would hear it more in one ear than the other. And as he travelled down the corridor he swore it was getting louder, more persistent. There was a door opened at the end, leading to a sitting room. From here the screams came clearer and the falcon followed it determinedly.

He burst in to the room looking a little haggard and Tala looked up from the book he was reading; it was a big thick thing, with tiny Russian words that leapt out at Bryan who couldn't understand them despite it being his own mother tongue. The screaming in here was piercing, almost painful; there was a window open and from here the screams flooded in.

There was also the sound of laughter, enjoyment.

Tala blinked "what's the matter with you?" he asked, he gave his team-mate the once over "you look awful"

"That _noise_" Bryan grunted as another scream filled the room like a physical pain, Bryan held his head "what the fuck _is it_?"

Tala, seemingly unaffected, looked at the window and waited for silence. When it came it was almost worse than the screams "that, Bryan" replied the wolf calmly "is the screaming of a rabbit"

The falcon stared at him "a _what_?"

"A rabbit"

"Rabbits don't scream"

"I beg to differ" replied the wolf returning to his book with little interest.

"Why is a fucking rabbit _fucking_ screaming?" Bryan had to ask as the rabbit squealed again and he had to wince, he was ready to kill the thing with his bare hands: anything to stop that noise.

"Because Alexander is cutting off its ears with a pair of scissors"

As if on cue Alexander appeared in the window. He was grinning wildly, and there was blood spattered on his face. Eagerly he held up his bloody hands; in the left he held two small little flat ears matted with blood. In the other was a mess of blood and plastered fur; the rabbit was dead, it's eyes wide and glassy. Alexander held it by its head and laughed.

"Look, Tala! Look what I did!" he cried out happily.

"Go away, you psychotic freak" said Tala flatly without looking up.

"You're no fun!" Alexander pouted, he looked down at his hands "the rabbit kept biting me" he gazed at the rabbit for a moment, and dropped it as if it were a toy he no longer wanted. Then he turned around and ran off, looking for other games to play.

Bryan watched him go and then turned to look at the wolf. He was rather taken aback to find that the redhead was smiling cruelly. He blinked again "are you going to hurt a rabbit too?" he asked numbly.

"Why would I do that?" Tala chuckled, though there was no sound of humour "I have bigger animals to torture"

"Bigger?"

Tala ignored him, his hands tightened around his book until the bones in his hands cracked "if Kai wants to let Ray be Alexander's friend, then so be it. I won't stop it, in fact I'll even encourage it" his smile grew wider "come on then, Ray Kon, you want to be Alexander's friend? Then give it your best shot, and let's see how much of the truth you can handle"

* * *

Poor little rabbit.

For the record I have no intention in making Tala sadistic enough to enjoy hurting animals, nor Bryan. Tala just sees this as the evil side of Alexander coming out which he finds pleasing because he thinks this will frighten Ray away and then he, Kai, Bryan and Alexander can return to Russia like he wants.

Anyway. Kai and Ray have cemented their relationship, so to speak, or at least the phyiscal side. The evil of Alexander has begun. And on the sidelines, Tyson has found out about Max and Hilary. Lots of drama, YAYNESS!

I hope you found the chapter dramatic enough to keep reading. Please leave a review.

Thanks for reading!

Kiki

Kizzes!


	14. In To The Fire

So, here I am! I know it's been a while, and I was going to update sooner. But, as some of you know, I've had a couple of tragedies in my family and it held me up.

Still, on to brighter things.

I can't actually remember what happened last chapter, but I'm sure you guys can. I promise the chapter follows on alright :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade, nor any of its characters.

WARNINGS: None really.

So, sorry for the wait.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Breathless**

**Chapter Fourteen: In To The Fire**

"I feel so guilty"

Max stared at the table as if it would change in to another form before his very eyes. He sighed heavily and sadly accepted the piece of apple Ray offered to him. Being in the kitchen without Tyson bustling around them in search of food was something neither of them were used to. But then, Tyson hadn't been seen since Max had come to his friend with his tail between his legs. He had tried to apologise to the dragon, but Tyson hadn't replied and left as soon as Max had stopped talking.

"Man, this is terrible"

"It is his home" Ray reasoned chewing his own portion of apple "and you know how he feels about Hilary"

"You don't need to remind me!" Max wailed, "I know how he feels!" his head hit the surface and he whined in to the wood "I tried to…I don't know, say I'm sorry"

"Sorry for which part?" asked the neko-jin "having sex with Hilary or having sex with Hilary in the sitting room?"

Max looked up at him with imploring eyes "you know, for once, you're not helping"

"What do you want me to say?" Ray replied, "you hurt his feelings, what do you expect him to do?"

"I didn't mean this to happen!" Max beseeched "it just…"

"Max, I'm not mad at you" the tiger answered "just look at it from Tyson's point of view, it has to hurt, dude"

"Trust me, if there was something I could do…"

"You could tell me what happened to Marium"

"Uhh…that" Max sighed "she never showed up, I guess I just realised I didn't want to wait forever"

"So you went after the first person with a skirt on?"

"No! I'm not like that!"

"But you take my point. You know plenty of girls so why Hilary?"

"Which girls are you on about?" asked Max "the only girls I really know are Emily, and my mom" he gave his friend a pained look "please don't tell me you mean Emily"

"You could be good for her"

Max blanched "she's dating Michael anyway"

"Alright" Ray sighed "what about Salima?"

"Ray, if there was a Bladebreaker Salima had a crush on it was you, not me" Max stole another piece of apple from the plate "besides I believe her and Kane are…engaged"

"Well don't look at me as if I know anything" the neko-jin snorted "the only news I know comes from the White Tiger Mountains"

"Talking of…I'm surprised they haven't ordered you back there. You're not a blader anymore, don't they want you to come home?"

"Uh…yeah" said Ray slowly "I just…feel I could learn more if I stayed a little longer, you know. When I go home I want to teach them stuff that'll help in our every day life, not just make all the kids better bladers"

"Makes sense I guess" Max agreed, "from what I've heard of the White Tiger Mountains you guys could certainly do with a little updating"

"Exactly" Ray affirmed wondering why his brain told him he was lying "they'll be thrilled when I return home with all the new stuff I've learnt"

"Hey, you could take a kettle with you!"

"Wouldn't be much point, we don't have electricity"

There was a crash and a wail from outside; Kenny and Daichi had collided in to one another. Max sighed and looked gloomily down at the table; talking about Ray's homeland was always something of a funny thing to talk about for the rest of the Bladebreakers. But right now it didn't sway the bad feeling in Max's stomach; he'd always considered Tyson to be his best friend, and he knew he'd hurt the dragon.

"I don't suppose you know where he is"

"I can guess," the neko-jin shrugged "but give him some time, you'll only get in to a fight if you push it now"

Another crash indicated that Daichi had just run headfirst in Kenny for the second time; the door slid open and Kai walked in. Ray looked up at him and then flushed a little; the phoenix paid him no heed and only looked down at Max silently before heading over to the kettle.

"Don't say it" Max moaned, "I don't need to hear"

"I didn't say anything"

"You don't have to, it's written all over your face. You think I'm really mean to take Hilary from Tyson too"

"I have very little opinion on the matter" was the answer. Making himself a coffee the phoenix now reached for his jacket.

"Are you going out?" asked Ray sharply.

"Yes" there was a pause and then, somewhat grudgingly, Kai added, "if you're coming then now would be the time to move"

Ray smiled. At least he'd managed to make the phoenix understand that he wasn't going to leave Kai alone with Alexander. Seemingly Kai had accepted this; though he was still against it, he also knew that to try and stop Ray would be something akin to stopping a moving train with his bare hands. A feat not even Kai could achieve.

"Huh? Where are you two going?" asked Max.

"Just out. I made Kai promise me to help me with a beyblading technique I've been working on" it was painful to lie, and he hated to do. But to tell Max about Alexander was dangerous. Besides that, Ray dreaded to think what Kai would do if the neko-jin started spreading the story about "why don't you join us later?" he suggested then "we'll be on the beach"

"Yeah, sure, it'll be good to do some beyblading" Max smiled, feeling a little cheered "and Daichi and Kenny probably need to get out of the house for a while"

This comment was answered by a third crash. Apparently Kenny had taken all he could and was now claiming his revenge. Daichi screamed. Ray got up from the table and took down his coat from the hook.

"Why don't you bring Hilary with you?"

"Uhh, is that a good idea?"

"Why not? You guys are a couple right? There's no point in hiding it"

"I guess…but what about Tyson?"

Ray smiled "he may be an idiot, but he's not resentful. Just give him a little time, that's all"

He turned to the door to find Kai had already left and was walking up the street. To this day the phoenix left when he chose and never waited for the rest whether they were with him or not. Saying his farewells Ray left the kitchen and hurried after him, checking the skies to make sure it would not rain again.

"It's not like you to lie"

This took the tiger by surprise. The fact that Kai had even taken notice of such a thing was a shock. Normally he didn't take any interest in anything his team had to say, and when he did he rarely made a comment. The neko-jin shrugged "I just thought you wouldn't want me to tell him the truth"

"I don't"

"Well…much as I don't like it, a lie is called for"

"And you're ok with that?"

"What's that mean?"

"It means I know you," said Kai emotionlessly "you hate to lie, and hate when situations make a liar of you"

"That doesn't mean I won't do it," the tiger pointed out "you don't want the others to know about Alexander. And for the sake of their safety I agree with you"

"Just as long as you realise what you're getting yourself in to" replied the phoenix.

"I said I'd help you, Kai" red eyes flickered sideways to look at him and found the neko-jin was gazing back at him almost stubbornly "I gave you a promise, and I intend to keep it"

* * *

Tala paced backwards and forwards with an expression of increasing anger; his red eyebrows dipped down in a deep arch. Bryan looked over from the window; currently he was watching Alexander, a job given to him by his Captain.

"You've got that look"

"He's late," said Tala coldly "Kai is late"

"So what? It's not like he's going to do anything when he gets here"

"Alexander is his responsibility. Not ours"

"So?"

"_So_ he should be here. He's the one that wants Alexander, he's the one that wants Ray Kon to be involved"

"I thought you wanted that to happen, you were happy about it yesterday"

"I am. But in order for my plan to work Kai has to actually _be_ here"

"Huh? You gotta plan?" said Bryan dumbly "I didn't know that" he gave his Captain a suspicious look "it doesn't mean I gotta do something else, does it?"

"On the contrary" Tala's look of annoyance melted in to a smile "quite the opposite" he paused in his pacing and gazed vindictively at his teammate "how do you feel about a break, Bryan?"

"A break?" now the falcon turned from the window.

"Why not?" the wolf shrugged "Ray wants to be involved in looking after our little Alexander, so I've decided to let him"

"Already knew that"

"Well, why won't we take a break? If Kai wants Ray to be Alexander's friend then he doesn't need us. So, we'll just step out of the picture for a while"

Bryan stared at him "you're going to let Ray Kon look after Alexander…by himself?"

"Yes. It's what he wants, he thinks we're not good for Alexander or Kai"

"Sure, it's what he wants. But Kai's not gonna agree to that, he'll want us to stick around"

"Then it's about time we start doing what we want rather than following Kai's demands. Besides, when it gets right down to it, Kai doesn't have a choice in the matter. And, if he does object, I'm sure Ray will talk him round" Tala's eyes narrowed "Kai seems to have developed a weakness where Ray is concerned, so we'll simply let Ray do all the talking"

Now it was Bryan who shrugged.

"Unless…" Tala gave the falcon a long hard cold stare "do you want to stay and help with Alexander?"

Bryan almost fell over with shock. Tala had never let him make his own decision in his entire life. He snorted and shook his head "I'll go where you go" he said absently turning back to the window to find he'd lost sight of Alexander "the less I see of the kid the better"

"Then that's settled. Ray gets to look after Alexander, and Kai gets to deal with the consequences"

"And after Ray's been through the ringer we get to go home?"

"Correct"

"Good" said Bryan. It was all he really wanted "what about Alexander?"

"We'll deal with him when we finally return to Russia" Tala replied breezily, much cheered now he'd informed Bryan of his plan. He tilted his head on hearing a noise "for now you'd better go look for him, Kai's arrived"

Tala listened again.

"And he's brought his new help with him"

* * *

"You're late"

Kai looked across the entrance hall as Tala appeared from a sitting room "I wasn't aware we had a schedule"

"I want to talk to you"

"And that of course means I should drop everything"

"It does in my book" Tala answered coolly. He looked scathingly at Ray "I see you're here"

"I promised I would be, remember," Ray replied unfazed by the redhead's snarl "no matter what you think"

"Actually I've been thinking about it" the wolf sneered "and the more I think about it the more I'm inclined to agree with you"

Kai's eyes narrowed.

"Oh?" Ray was taken aback "you do?"

He hadn't expected Tala to agree with him in a thousand years. He caught Kai's expression and joined him in his suspicions; Tala could only be up to something, concocting some plan that would in the end lead to what he wanted. If the wolf thought Ray wasn't going to see that then he'd seriously underestimated the neko-jin's mental power. Not that Ray could actually blame Tala for that; it was well known throughout the world that the majority of Bladebreakers were not famed for their ability to think out of a situation. Still, it was surprising of Tala to make such an assumption; it wasn't his habit to under-estimate so easily.

"I've been thinking about it all night…while you returned to the Bladebreakers" the wolf added smoothly, there was the slight sound of accusation in his tone but Kai ignored it "I think that Ray is right. And I think he should take over looking after Alexander-"

Kai's expression sharpened in to warning.

"-In fact, I've decided that Bryan and I should take a break" Tala finished innocently.

"And why would you need to take a break?" asked the phoenix dangerously.

Tala snorted in disbelief "are you serious?" he answered incredulously "may I remind you that Bryan and I have done _nothing_ except look after that deranged rag? It's been alright for you, flying off to your precious Bladebreakers whenever you want but Bryan and I haven't had that luxury"

"You were the ones who stayed involved" the phoenix said shortly "I never asked you to"

"I accept that" the wolf conceded "but now I think it's time we took a break" he gestured to Ray "you have this fool now, so I don't see what the problem is"

"You know what Alexander is capable of, Ray does not"

"I'm sure he'll find out soon enough. Besides, you'll be there to help him, right?"

Tala smiled, an expression Kai took a disliking to.

"I agree" said Ray.

He was sure he was walking directly in to Tala's trap with a smile on his face but he couldn't help it. The tiger was as sure as he could be that Tala and Bryan were doing nothing to help Alexander's mind in any way, and they were only adding pressure to Kai; to have them leave the picture was an opportunity not to be abandoned without a fight.

"Oh?" Tala looked surprised, Ray didn't believe him for a minute "you shock me, I didn't think you'd agree so readily"

"Like I believe that," the neko-jin answered "I think the best thing for you and Bryan to do is leave, it's best for everyone"

"Really?" Tala could barely contain his smile. This was _so_ easy "and who's to say you can handle it? As Kai has pointed out, you do not know what Alexander is capable of"

"True" the tiger admitted "but you don't know what I'm capable of either"

"I see. So you think you can deal with it, do you? Well, be my guest. Take Alexander off my hands. Heal his mind if you think you can"

"I know I can" Ray stared back at Tala determinedly "what you're doing is wrong, none of it is doing anyone any good. Alexander needs to heal and move on from what happened to him, I can help him"

Tala almost laughed. He was only grateful he had more control than Bryan; he knew for a fact the falcon would be rolling on his back howling by now. Even so, it took a moment for the wolf to regain his features in to maintaining a serious expression "I have to admit, I'm insulted. After all, Bryan and I have put a lot of effort in controlling that boy"

"That's just my point. Alexander doesn't need _controlling_, he needs security and kindness"

"Well, you are the expert in that department I suppose"

"Enough" said Kai.

"Oh, you speak? Such a surprise to discover you have an opinion on the matter"

"I know what you're planning" the phoenix spoke as if the wolf hadn't "I won't let Ray take the fall because you're not getting your way"

"Hmm, that may be" the wolf agreed "but is there actually anything you can do to stop it?"

Wolf and phoenix stared each other down and now Tala let his bitterness show.

"There's nothing you can do" the redhead said sourly "you can't physically stop me from leaving, and Bryan will always choose me over you"

"You only doing this to make a point"

"And why shouldn't I? Mr Perfect over there thinks he can handle Alexander, so let him. We'll see who comes out on top soon enough, or maybe you'll have enough sense to return to Russia before that happens"

Kai's expression went darker than Tala had expected; it was defensive to the point of aggression. The phoenix managed to maintain his cool demeanour, however; despite that, he couldn't deny that Tala had a point. Short of strapping the wolf down with chains and rope there wasn't much Kai could do to make them stay. In retrospect he should have foreseen this; Tala had been pining to return to Russia from the moment they'd stepped on Japanese soil. The phoenix had already known he would conjure up some idea to make Kai see things his way, it was just Ray that was the anomaly; Kai hadn't planned for any of the Bladebreakers to be involved.

Although he really should have foreseen that too. They were a curious lot and they had this annoying habit of caring about Kai. It wouldn't have taken them long to start figuring it all out; Kai only supposed he should be grateful that it was Ray and none of the others that stood beside him now.

"Nothing else to say?" asked Tala.

"There's nothing to say, you've already made your decision"

But the expression in Kai's eyes was clear; this was a betrayal in his world and, whether one was a part of the Bladebreakers or a part of the Blitzkrieg Boys, betrayal was not lightly taken. Tala paused when he considered this; he knew what this meant.

But in his view there was no betrayal involved.

"Then it's all in your hands" Tala's eyes snapped to Ray "I hope you know what you're doing"

Ray was silent before he answered; he gave Tala a level look, taking in the tension building up between the wolf and phoenix. He knew what Kai thought about traitors and he knew about the bond cemented between the Russian team. Briefly he wondered if he'd made it all worse somehow, and then decided there was no point in thinking on that "same goes to you" he replied.

* * *

"Come on, Daichi! Go faster, you've almost beaten him!" Kenny urged punching his fists in the air with excitement.

"Like hell!" Max protested, "I'm not beaten yet!"

They let out a shout of delight as the blades went flying to the air and looped round in a huge arch. Ray looked up to watch, pausing in his examination of his own blade; it had been some time since he'd launched a beyblade. The blades soared in to the sky again and Daichi let out a whoop.

"This was a good idea" Hilary came to sit beside the neko-jin on the bench "what made you think of it?"

"I just thought we could all do with a little fun for a change" Ray answered, he looked over his shoulder "you seen Tyson yet?"

Hilary sighed and shook her head sadly "somehow, I feel it's my fault. I got in between Max and Tyson. I just didn't know Tyson…you know"

"You weren't supposed to" the tiger reminded her "he hadn't swallowed up his courage to tell you, remember"

"Yeah, but still…he's such a blunt guy, I should have seen something"

"Well, this was the one thing Tyson was subtle over" Ray blew any sand from his blade and fitted it back together "don't worry about it so much. He's just hurt, that's all. Max didn't tell him anything and then he walked in on you two…" he trailed off.

"Yeah, I remember" Hilary assured him feebly "I was there"

"That's kinda self inflicted, you did do it in the sitting room after all"

"I know" Hilary scowled and then objected with exasperation "but haven't you ever heard of impulsive attraction!?"

"Sure, but at least I had the sense to-" Ray choked on his words and pulled them to a stop sharply; he cleared his throat and tried to flush as little as possible. Licking his lips nervously he continued "…sometimes looking impulsions should be ignored until they can be carried out in a less public place"

Even to him his voice sounded stilted.

Seemingly Hilary didn't notice; she did however make a closer inspection of the neko-jin's neck "hey, where'd that bruise come from?"

Ray's hand flew to his neck "that? Nowhere really…I just got hit by a flying beyblade, that's all" he laughed "you know what Daichi's like, the kid's aim gets worse every year"

"Is that what it is?" Hilary giggled, "bad place, Ray. Anyone with a dirty mind would think it was a bite mark. If it wasn't you I'd say you'd been doing something naughty" she winked.

Ray laughed again, it sounded somewhat hollow "well, you know the White Tiger way, no sex before marriage…" he suddenly felt like a traitor in his own skin "…no contact, or consummation…"

And here he'd been doing such a good job of not thinking about that.

"Hey, Hilary!" Max lifted his blade up in the air with a smile of joy "I won!"

She cheered and ran over to him leaving Ray sighing with relief; he shook his head and tried not to think about the sin. He'd wanted to lay with Kai; he'd wanted nothing else in such a long time. Being with Kai was all he really wanted; he wanted to be there-

Again he cut his thoughts down.

There was no point in thinking about his dreams; they would all be squashed when he finally returned to the White Tiger Mountains. Sighing again he placed his beyblade on the bench beside him; he'd never felt less like blading in his life. Somehow his plan had worked for everyone except him.

Well, save for Kai and Tyson of course. Tyson hadn't been seen all day and Kai was lying in the sand away from the rest of them. Or at least that's what he had been doing. Now he sat up and looked over his shoulder.

Following his gaze Ray caught a rustle in one of the bushes lining the sand's edge. Had Alexander followed them? Kai had told him to stay in the mansion and he had promised to. But Kai's eyes were too focused on those bushes. Silently Ray got up from the bench and walked over the sand towards the phoenix; he kept one eye on the bushes in question and was sure he saw a glimpse of movement.

He reached the phoenix as Kai got to his feet "let me go"

Kai looked at him.

"Please" Ray asked "I know I can talk him out doing anything"

"How can you be so sure?"

"I just know" Ray looked at Kai, completely distracted from the bushes "I want help you, Kai. You know that. But before I can help you have to allow me to"

The phoenix made no reply.

"Let me prove it to you" Ray whispered, "I know what I'm doing, I promise. I'm not going to fold like Tala seems to think"

The breeze swept over the beach and sent sand swirling around their feet in circles; behind them Hilary squealed out loud when the warm wind lifted her skirt and Max picked her up to whirl her round laughing. Daichi was thrusting his beyblade in to Kenny's face and demanding a complete remake so he could take on Max again and win. Kai was silent and his eyes never left the bushes; for a moment he had considered the possibility that it might be Tyson hiding out behind them.

But Tyson wasn't known for his skills in hiding.

And he wasn't so cowardly that he wouldn't come out in the open.

This was Alexander. There was no doubt in Kai's mind. And this is what Ray had promised to help him with. Now, thanks to Tala, Kai had no option but to accept that help. He couldn't deal with Alexander by himself; proud as he was he knew enough to admit that. But Ray…

Ray was a loyal teammate, and a friend; their relationship had taken a sharp turn during the night and because of that Kai was almost prepared to take the responsibility of Alexander solely by himself. If only to ensure the neko-jin was protected.

But Ray wouldn't allow that. He'd made it his mission to make sure that Kai wasn't alone in this; no matter what the phoenix did now Ray would be there, whether Kai asked him or not.

That was something Kai was just going to have to swallow.

But even so, the possibilities of that mistake were ever present in Kai's mind.

And Tala had never been wrong in his life.

The phoenix was as certain as he could be that the wolf was right once again.

* * *

So, with Tala gone, Kai's got his hands full. And will Ray help or not? You shall to find out.

Or you will do if you keep reading the story, which I hope you do.

Please leave a review and a comment.

Thanks for reading!

Kizzes!

Kiki


	15. Sweet And Sour

**Review Replies  
**Suzanne: Thanks for your review! I'm so happy you're still reading my stories after all this time! Thank you so much!

* * *

Ok, don't tell me. I really don't not want to know how long it's been since I updated this story...a long time right?

I can only hope this chapter makes up for that.

WARNINGS: None.

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade, nor any of its characters.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Breathless**

**Chapter Fifteen: Sweet And Sour**

"Come on, Ray, come on! Let's play another game! More fun more fun! YAY!"

The sun was bright and shining down on the pair making everything glare in the heavy heat; despite that the clear sign of a storm was evident. Dark thick clouds were billowing and rolling in and the winds had started to pick up; it was late in the afternoon and as the day drew further on the rumble in the skies grew blacker.

Still, Ray wasn't concerned yet.

He reckoned he still another good half hour before he had to start coaxing Alexander back to the mansion. For now he could let the kid run about and play in the water as he waded deeper in to the river. The neko-jin shook his head and not for the first time reminded himself that despite his persona, Alexander was in fact fifteen; the gangly tall pale young man who ran about like a six year old, but there were still the occasional sign that gave his age away.

His strength was the first and most obvious give away; his childish joy hadn't stopped his bodyweight from breaking several things too strong for an actual child. And then there were the odd looks in his eye, the stare of a dangerous man so much older than a child. This was the only part of Alexander's personality Ray was wary of; there was something rather sinister in Alexander when he looked at Ray sometimes.

The third thing that often gave his actual age away was his way with girls. The first time it happened Alexander had managed to get to second base before Ray had realised what had happened. He'd only taken his eyes off Alexander for thirty seconds. Seeing Alexander act like a child one minute and then an horny teenager the next had really freaked the neko-jin out; the worst part came two minutes later, as soon as the girl fell out of sight Alexander snapped back in to child mode and started to cry because he wanted an ice-cream.

It had unsettled Ray, but he'd coped admirably in his opinion. He was managing Alexander better than he'd expected if he were truly honest; part of him wanted Tala to show up for a moment just to see how well Ray was doing. In fact for all Ray knew Tala was watching his every move. Not that it really bothered him; the neko-jin's only real objective was to help Kai, not play games with Tala. And he was doing just fine with Alexander; the kid had grown attached to him it seemed.

Of course the most exhausting thing about Alexander was that he never stopped, his energy was boundless; all day every day he had to be on the move, doing something or playing some game with Ray or without him.

His endless energy had been something Tala had tried to curb, ordering Alexander to stay within the confines of the mansion as much as he could. Ray, however, had a different approach. So long as Ray was with him, keeping an eye, he would let Alexander go wherever he wanted to go.

Because the more energy Alexander expended through the day, the more tired he became at night; if Alexander was too tired at night to pester Kai it meant the phoenix could return with Ray to the Bladebreakers. Alexander still adored Kai and would hound him whenever he got the chance, but he slept so soundly during the night that he never knew he was being left alone. At first Kai hadn't been keen on the idea but so long as they returned before Alexander woke the boy never knew.

This arrangement was by no means permanent and in the long term it would serve no purpose, but for now it gave Kai the space he needed and at present that was the most important thing for Ray.

So far it had been working wonders. It had been a week since Ray had persuaded Alexander from the beach; since then Kai had come to trust Ray's judgement when it came to Alexander and whatever he disagreed with Ray simply talked him round to his way of thinking.

The phoenix had become susceptible to Ray's opinion as of late; the neko-jin liked to think it was because they'd broken the physical bounds of their relationship. Not that he'd said anything. Neither of them had spoken of that night they'd spent together; whether it was because they felt the conversation too awkward or because it had simply not cropped up wasn't clear, either way it was an issue they'd both avoided.

"Ray! Ray! Look at this! I gotta fish!"

Alexander beamed up at Ray waving the fish in the air and holding on tight as it writhed in his hand. As the neko-jin watched he lifted the squirming creature to his mouth and bit in to it.

Alarmed Ray pulled the fish from him and threw it back in to the river; Alexander's face was thunderous as he watched the fish sway in the water before regaining itself and swimming away up the river.

"Ray! How could you do THAT! I WANT A FISH! Tala let me eat them!"

"I bet he did" Ray soothed, secretly unsurprised that Tala had let Alexander eat raw fish "but you know what? When fish is cooked it tastes a hundred times better"

Alexander's black face brightened in a flash.

"Really!" he beamed "are you serious?!"

"Yup, you wanna try it?"

"Oh yes, oh yes!" Alexander clapped his hands together "I wanna try I wanna try!"

"Well lets go buy some at the store" Ray smiled "then I'll cook it for you"

"Really! You know how to cook fish?"

"Sure do, I used to work in a restaurant" the neko-jin replied as they left the river behind them and returned to the path.

"So when we buy the fish can we go home and cook it?!"

"Sure thing"

Seemingly getting Alexander home was going to be an easier task than Ray had bargained for.

"Can I help with the cooking?!"

"Why don't you make the sauce?"

"Really! Can I? Tala never even _LET_ me go in the kitchen!?"

That didn't surprise Ray either.

But as Alexander bounced around him like a kangaroo jumping in circles the tiger couldn't help feeling a little twinge of concern. After all the effect Alexander had on the Blitzkrieg Boys had been almost shocking. Tala hated the fifteen year old with a passion so dark he looked murderous just thinking about him. It was a well-known fact that Bryan had hated Ray more than anyone else in the world – until now.

And Kai…

The phoenix was so tired and so drunk that he'd almost lost his control. That worried the neko-jin. He couldn't understand why that had happened to Kai when looking after Alexander was so easy.

But was it _too_ easy?

* * *

"Tyson…" Max peered round the kitchen door cautiously.

He found the dragon sitting at the table tucking in to a large plate of fruit; the sun was streaming in through the back door which had been flung wide open to let in as much light as possible. Tyson glanced up as Max came in to the room and shoved a large piece of apple in to his mouth.

Max sighed sadly; Tyson hadn't said much to him or Hilary since he'd found out about them. Kai had called it sulking – mainly because Tyson had made the mistake of trying to confide in him. But Max knew he'd hurt his friend and he felt terrible about it. He had hoped that time would build the bridge between them, but that hadn't been the case.

Nevertheless he refused to let it end between them; Tyson was his best friend after all. He sat down opposite the dragon and took a piece of fruit from the bowl. Munching on it he thought about what to say; he'd known how Tyson had felt about Hilary, and he honestly hadn't meant this to happen. If there had been any sign that Hilary had felt anything for Tyson Max wouldn't have gone near her with a ten-foot pole.

But she hadn't.

And he'd always thought she was cute.

Tyson munched away on his apple and thought about it. He knew Max wanted to make friends, and he knew none of this was anybody's fault. But it hurt, more than Tyson had expected. Still, right now he had other things on his mind and no matter how much it hurt he couldn't do anything without Max's help. And maybe the turtle had noticed something he hadn't.

So, for the sake of the team, Tyson pushed down his hurt and sense of betrayal and looked up at the blonde who was sitting quietly on the other side of the table.

"Do you think Ray's alright?"

Max jumped and looked up "what?"

"He's not been here much, and when I try and talk to him about it he blocks me" Tyson continued thoughtfully as he finished his apple "Kai too, they're both acting weird. Kenny's noticed it too, they're barely here during the day"

Max thought about it; he didn't want to admit the only reason he hadn't noticed was because he'd been spending all of his time being with Hilary and avoiding Tyson. But now he'd thought about it he realised it had been a couple of days since he and Ray had eaten breakfast together.

"The last time I talked to Ray was this morning, he said he was going out"

"I haven't seen him all day, it's the middle of the afternoon" Tyson answered, "Kai's been going out all day too, but he does that a lot"

"Do you think they're alright?"

"I don't know, it's not like Ray to be so closed about something" Tyson scowled "sounds like we need to check out what's going on"

"What are you guys planning?" Kenny entered the kitchen with his laptop clutched under his arm "please don't tell me you're going to become a rock band again, that was painful for everybody"

"Hey" Max grinned "we weren't _that_ bad"

"Uh, do you _remember_ Daichi? His idea of a rock star was obscene, our postman still leaves the mail halfway down the street"

"Alright, so we sucked as a rock band" Tyson shushed him "this is serious, chief, we're talking about Kai and Ray"

"Ohh" Kenny sat down next to Max "I have noticed Ray's been a little off lately. I asked him if he wanted shopping earlier and he made up some excuse"

Tyson and Max exchanged glances.

Ray's quick excuse to escape shopping with Kenny was understandable.

Shopping with Kenny was always a painful affair.

"Have you noticed the amount of time Ray's been spending with Kai?" Kenny asked as he put his laptop on the table and opened it up "more than usual"

"Well they've always been close" Max pointed out "Ray's the only one Kai can handle for more than an hour"

"Yes, but I've noticed they've been talking together privately, in a corner like they don't want to be disturbed"

"It's not unusual for Kai to stick to a corner" Tyson snorted, "he likes to be protected on three sides in case Daichi attacks"

Kenny tapped away on his laptop and nodded as he worked "I agree, Kai's behaviour is not all together unusual, although he's been a little more distant than normal just lately. But Ray is not acting like himself, I think we should investigate"

"That's what me and Max think" the dragon agreed "we should wait until Ray gets back and then follow him when he goes out-"

"No need, I can track him from here. It'll save a lot of time"

"Don't tell me you've still got our blades bugged" Max sighed.

"And your phones" Kenny added "and any music devices you own, not to mention the security cameras I have at my disposal throughout the city"

Max and Tyson blinked.

Slowly the dragon leant forwards across the table.

"Kenny, are you turning in to a stalker?"

* * *

"You're stalking again" Bryan commented from the grass; he stretched and folded his arms up behind his head "you're like a wolf hunting its prey"

Tala ignored him and continued to watch the scene below him; Ray was walking along the path with Alexander leaping around him in huge circles. The redhead narrowed his sharp blue eyes and sighed impatiently.

"Let me guess" the falcon grinned, "Kon's not actually doing a bad job, right?"

"He's coping just fine!" Tala snapped irritably "I was sure he'd break within a week"

"Never underestimate a Bladebreaker" said Bryan darkly.

"And what is that child up to?!" the wolf stormed on completely regardless of Bryan's existence "he's been the perfect golden boy all week! Barely any bad behaviour at all!"

"Maybe he's had a change of heart, maybe he likes Kon" the falcon suggested.

"No, that's not it. That damn neko-jin is just too good with children!" Tala growled, "he knows what he's doing!" his blue eyes followed the pair until they disappeared round the corner and then glared after them with fury.

Things weren't going the way he wanted. The wolf hated this whole situation and he wanted it to be over as soon as possible. He'd thought that Alexander's creepy habits would have sent Ray running or put him in enough danger that Kai would be forced to rethink his allowance of the situation. But the neko-jin was coping just fine and Alexander was being better behaved than Tala had ever seen him. And worst of all, Kai was starting to relax about it all; he'd watched the way Ray handled the kid and was satisfied.

The wolf didn't want this.

Alexander was being too good.

Ray was too calm.

Kai was too relaxed.

It pissed Tala off.

There had to be a way for him to change this, turn things around in his favour; the sooner they returned to Russia the better.

"Just give it up" Bryan sighed "so the neko-jin's better than we thought, is it really that bad?"

Tala scowled at him.

"At least it means we don't have to look after the freak anymore" the falcon continued without batting an eyelid.

"Are you stupid? There's no way we can allow _Ray Kon _to take care of that brat!"

"Why not?"

"Because it's none of his concern of course!"

The wolf breathed fierily and began to think; there had to be a way to bring the situation back under control. Alright, so he'd called Ray's bluff and failed – it didn't mean he couldn't make this work. There had to be a way.

"I don't see why we can't just dump the freak," Bryan complained. He sighed pointedly but his Captain completely ignored him. The falcon rolled his eyes and settled back down in the grass with a yawn "it wasn't all bad, I suppose," he yawned, "freaking the kid out on a daily basis brought a little entertainment"

Tala blinked. If Bryan had been looking he could have practically _seen_ the light bulb ping above Tala's head. Slowly a cruel cold smile spread across Tala's face.

"You know, all this effort Kon is putting in must be tiring" the falcon suggested, unaware of the evil his Captain was concocting "sooner or later he's bound to collapse. We should just wait until his body can't take it anymore"

"No" Tala chuckled "that would just take too long"

Bryan was right. Waiting around until Ray collapsed was a simple yet effective solution to the problem. No one, not even the great neko-jin, could handle Alexander's boundless energy with no consequences. Sooner or later the tiger would crumble from sheer exhaustion and maybe that would be the best way of dealing the whole situation.

But Tala was impatient, he always had been; he wanted everything to happen yesterday and to get his way when he wanted it. But Alexander was playing the good boy and it was making things difficult.

So Tala had to turn Alexander bad.

A little push here…

A little push there…

And then all Tala had to do was sit back and watch.

He turned round.

Bryan lifted his eyebrows.

The wolf had his devil expression back.

"I have a better idea"

"What's that?" the falcon gave him a suspicious look "if it involves sewers again-"

"Oh for crying out loud!" Tala snapped, "so you got coated in something unpleasant, get over it!"

"It was horrible! And it didn't work! It wasn't your best idea, Tala"

"I was five years old! I hadn't yet developed my keen intellect, something which, by the way, you've never acquired"

"Just tell me what the stupid idea is" Bryan grumbled.

Tala smiled again "I'm going to bring a little entertainment back in to your life"

* * *

"And then we went to the park and then we went to the beach and then Ray bought ice-cream and then I went to play in the sea and then-"

Kai's hearing faded in and out as the constant sea of Alexander's words threatened to cram his brain. Leaning against the wall it occurred to him that the kid's tirade sounded different from what it had been. Alexander had always had the annoying habit of tormenting Kai with every little detail of his day, but it had been full sobs and cries as Alexander had talked about the way Tala and Bryan had been picking on him.

Now the kid was spouting about a day out which he'd enjoyed and found exciting. It was like Ray had completely changed him.

"-Then we went to the zoo! It was so awesome! I love the zoo! I wanna go there again tomorrow! -"

In truth Kai wasn't sure what to make of it. Yes, Alexander was more stable now than he'd ever been. But this kid wasn't a stable person; Boris had seen to that. Tala and Bryan hadn't made it easy, but they hadn't caused the insanity either. Yet now Alexander was acting like a completely stable if ill educated human. It bothered the phoenix.

The darkness in Alexander wasn't something imaginary.

It wasn't possible that Ray had managed to heal this boy. Not even the neko-jin could achieve that. And yet here Alexander was, taking off his shoes at the door, being polite and cheerful. He was doing everything Ray asked of him, obeying the rules and regretting anything he did wrong. It was…unsettling. Kai wasn't easily unnerved by anything. But Ray was involved and that made things different.

"Hey"

The phoenix looked up and realised that the Alexander had dashed off and now the neko-jin was standing in his place quietly. Kai gave his teammate a quick unseen examination; Ray looked tired but strong despite that. He was tough and able to handle himself, Kai knew that, but he also knew Ray was doing all of this for him. The tiger would go to great lengths for someone important to him, even if it killed him in process.

"Alexander's eating in the kitchen" Ray leant against the wall next to Kai and looked at him "how are you doing?"

Kai said nothing; he folded his arms and closed his eyes against the world. The neko-jin smile to himself; after all these years and after everything they'd been through together Kai still thought he could escape scrutiny by leaning against a wall and closing his eyes. Of course that had stopped working on the Bladebreakers a long time ago, but the phoenix could still live in hope.

"Actually…I've been wanting to talk to you"

Ray cleared his throat and tried to hide how uncomfortable he suddenly was. It wasn't an easy topic to begin with, but when Kai was involved everything was twice as difficult. Feelings and emotions just weren't Kai's gift. But Ray was very in tune with his emotions and he'd always believed in being honest about them.

"We haven't talked about what happened between us" he ventured, looking away from Kai and out through the window.

The storm had exploded some time ago; rain thrashed against the window, almost breaking the glass. Clouds rolled through the sky, dark and foreboding; Alexander had been scared when the lighting had first struck. He'd hidden under the table and screamed blue murder until Ray had managed to calm him down. After that he'd wanted to go outside but the neko-jin hadn't let him; the rain looked set to fall for the whole night, and as the evening drew on the sky grew darker and darker.

"Is there anything to say?" asked Kai.

Ray thought about this; he'd been thinking about this a lot. To begin with he'd worried that having sex with Kai would change their relationship. Maybe the phoenix would draw away from him. But, stoic as Kai was, his overall attitude toward the tiger hadn't changed. That had only increased Ray's concern.

Because Kai hadn't mentioned what had happened between them.

At all.

The neko-jin wasn't sure what to make of it. And, more to the point, he wasn't sure what the next step was. Did they return to the friendship they'd had before and pretend it never happened? Did they take a step forward? He didn't know. And inside he felt it was more Kai's choice than his; Kai was the one who'd been brought up to believe that feelings were void. He should be the one to decide how much feeling should be put in to the situation.

Except that left Ray hanging a little.

And he hated not knowing where he'd stood.

He'd held out as long as he could, hoping Kai would bring up the subject. In retrospect he realised that had been a fool's hope. Kai barely made conversation at all.

"If you worried about how it make affect certain aspects of our relationship then don't be" said Kai.

Ray looked round at him quickly and blinked "really?"

The phoenix opened his eyes and returned his gaze; he nodded once and spoke no more. Ray smiled a little; that was all he was going to get from the phoenix, and yet somehow it was enough. At least he knew where he was now.

But maybe there was a little sadness deep inside his heart.

Some part him that hurt to hear that nothing had changed between them. They were still friends; he should be happy. So he smiled again and left the safety of the wall to stand by the window. He watched the rainfall roll down the glass and it reminded him of tears. In the silence between them they could hear Alexander singing to himself from the other room as he tucked in the fish dish Ray had made for him.

"He seems happy" the neko-jin commented "and a lot easier to handle than I'd anticipated"

"You don't torment him like Tala did" the phoenix replied.

"Is that all it is?" Ray asked turning back from the window "somehow I imagined he'd be more…damaged"

Kai didn't answer. He wasn't surprised that Ray had picked up on the same thing he had; the neko-jin had always been smart. Even so he wasn't sure how to handle his next words; admitting that it was unusual for Alexander to be so well behaved would lead Ray to wonder what the kid was truly capable of. For reasons he couldn't quite explain Kai didn't want to share that information with Ray.

"Tala and Bryan went out of their way to make his life miserable"

"I suppose that would make an unbalanced mind worse" the neko-jin reasoned, "still, I wonder what you're not telling me"

He lifted his eyebrows expectantly.

Kai blinked.

"Don't give me that look. I've known you long enough to know when you're not telling me everything"

"What exactly are you expecting me to say?"

"I'm not sure. I just keep wondering what it is you're hiding"

"Nothing of any importance"

"Is that so?" the neko-jin smiled lightly "well I guess I'll just have to keep working on you until you spill"

The phoenix didn't reply. Silence filled the room once more and the rain smacked down the window behind Ray. It suddenly occurred to the tiger that he and Kai had to return to Tyson's house. They were going to be soaked. He sighed lightly and suppressed his dislike; normally they walked back, maybe he could persuade Kai in to a taxi.

"I'd better go check on Alexander"

It was then he realised that Alexander had stopped singing to himself. Instinctively the tiger pricked his ears. Was that a small whimpering he could detect?

"Kai…"

The phoenix looked up abruptly to see Ray moving slowly toward the door listening carefully.

"…Something's wrong" the neko-jin muttered to himself, his brow furrowed.

And then Alexander was screaming, long shrills shrieks that carried through the air and shattered the silence. And he kept screaming as Ray raced down the corridor. The neko-jin charged round the corner and burst in to the room where he'd left the kid.

Silence.

The room was empty.

* * *

Next time: Drama ensues. Tala causes trouble. Alexander causes more trouble and Ray's romance with Kai blossoms...Yay!

Thanks for reading!

Please leave a review.

Kiki

Kizzes!


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